Five men to begin fraud trial over south Wales mine sales
Wednesday 30 January 2013
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EmailFive men will be in court on Friday charged with the fraudulent sale of four opencast mines in south Wales.
The defendants, including former Cardiff City FC chairman Alan Whitely, are accused of setting up companies in the British Virgin Islands as part of a ruse to defraud three Welsh councils and the Coal Authority.
It is alleged the men used the companies to skirt a commitment to restore the mining sites to open countryside or agricultural ground.
A Serious Fraud Office probe led to the men's arrest in March 2011.
The case forced Alan Whitely to resign his position on Cardiff City's board last week.
He claims the allegations are "deeply flawed" and the club gave him formal backing, saying that it expected him to be "completely exonerated."
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