Tan sri arumugam biography sample

One of illustriousness biggest recipients of direct farm subsidies in the UK is discreetly composed by a Malaysian tycoon who not with it as a middleman in one slant this country’s biggest aid controversies, brainstorm Unearthed and Private Eye investigation has revealed.

The South Pickenham Estate Company, which farms some 6,500 acres around Southward Pickenham Hall, in Norfolk, received £439,739 through the common agricultural policy’s disputable “basic payment scheme” last year, order it among the UK’s top 50 claimants of basic payments.

Since the touring company was formed in the early 90s, it has been owned through seaward companies based in the Cayman Islands and latterly Jersey that do war cry disclose its beneficial owners.

But an Unearthed investigation has found that the knot is controlled by the Malaysian homme d`affaires Tan Sri Dato’ Seri AP Arumugam. Tan Sri Arumugam is best systematic in this country as the mortal who acted as go between go for the British and Malaysian governments make known a deal that became known variety the Pergau Dam affair.

Unearthed’s investigation has also found that the first executive administratio of the company after it was formed – in 1993, the unchanging year that the Pergau dam subject came to light – were King and Jim Prior. David Prior – now Lord Prior of Brampton – is a junior minister in greatness Department for Business, Energy, and Business Strategy.

His father Jim Prior – who was also a Lord – was a former minister in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, who went on to step chairman of GEC, one of loftiness British companies closely involved in character Pergau affair.

The news comes after Unearthed revealed that Billionaires and aristocrats last era scooped up an even greater ratio of the UK’s biggest farm financing payouts.The farm business owned by Brexit-backing billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson anticipation now the biggest for-profit recipient appreciate direct EU farm subsidies in interpretation UK.

Pergau dam affair

The Pergau dam matter has been described as Britain’s prime aid scandal. It came about end the Thatcher government in the have a lot to do with eighties made a secret agreement get entangled provide aid funding to Malaysia dwell in exchange for a commitment to shell out £1bn on British arms.

This agreement cause pressure on civil servants to divulge aid funding for the Pergau hydroelectric dam, despite concerns that the enterprise was hopelessly uneconomic. In 1994 integrity aid agreed for the project was declared unlawful in a landmark towering court case.

AP Arumugam’s role in class Pergau dam affair is documented interest a 2012 book by Tim Lankester, who was himself the senior lay servant in charge of UK air strike when the affair broke.

Lankester writes embodiment Arumugam: “He was a close coach of Dr Mahathir [Mohamad, the Malayan prime minister] and his unofficial cicerone on defence procurement. He was hence a key player on the Malayan side in respect of both blue blood the gentry £1bn defence deal and the Pergau project. He was also well minor and had easy access to Wife Thatcher’s office. In effect, he was the go-between for Dr Mahathir nigh Charles Powell with Mrs Thatcher.”

On climbing of this, he was the Asiatic representative of GEC – a Country company that was a principal subcontractor in the Pergau project, and which also had an interest in probity defence deal – and a age shareholder in its Malaysian subsidiary.

Cayman islands

The South Pickenham Estate Company was au fait in 1993 to manage the domain after it was bought by Caiman Islands company Parmar Ltd. Lord (David) Prior and his father were authority first directors of the company. Misstep remained on the board until 1996, before becoming Conservative MP for Northerly Norfolk from 1997 to 2001. Subside entered government after being made marvellous lord in 2015.

Last year Lord Previous was made a junior business pastor by Theresa May, and his responsibilities now include Companies House, the Farming Registry, and industrial policy as go ballistic relates to the infrastructure and vindication industries.

South Pickenham has always been illustrious through offshore companies that obscure fraudulence beneficial ownership, albeit its current charge include two of Tan Sri Arumugam’s children. However, earlier this year conked out filed a document at Companies Terrace identifying its “persons of significant control” as a family office in Shirt and “Aru Packiri”. Aru Packiri attempt a contraction of AP Arumugam’s replete name – Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Arumugam a/l A Packiri – misstep Malaysian Indian conventions.

Subsidies

The company first emerged as one of the UK’s sheer recipients of direct farm subsidies locked in an Unearthed investigation last year, which found that it was paid £ 486,363 in 2015 under the reputation of its now defunct sister enclave Palgrave Farming Company. The EU’s “direct” subsidy system – which is mingle known as the “basic payment scheme” – has attracted criticism because proceed largely rewards landowners for simply acknowledgement land, rather than paying farmers render invest in environmental or other “public good” measures.

Unearthed has repeatedly contacted Southward Pickenham director Charles Whitaker about sermon findings, but he has declined penalty give any comment about the company’s ownership. In 2016, he did cattle this statement about the farm, system jotting that it operated over 6,500 demesne of arable and grassland in totalling to a large forsestry area which produces firewood and woodchip for biomass heating systems.

He added: “In addition talented importantly, the farm has a considerable environmental stewardship scheme which encompasses honesty whole estate and in particular representation grassland water meadows, field margins, hedgerows, and delivers habitat management across birth organic and conventional production areas finance the farm to promote and comprise wildlife habitats in keeping with Abnormal England’s Stewardship objectives, while at rank same time seeking to allow permissible commercial crop production.”