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Lex Greensill has sued the UK Department of Commerce and Trade, accusing it of misusing private information, according to High Court records.
Details of the claim have not been made public. The lawsuit, filed last Thursday, had not previously been reported.
The Australian businessman's company, Greensill Capital, which had former British Prime Minister David Cameron as an adviser, collapsed in 2021 after failing to renew its insurance policies.
The collapse of Greensill Capital sparked one of Britain's most high-profile lobbying scandals in a generation. A spokesman for Lex Greensill declined to comment.
The legal proceedings come as the UK Insolvency Service, regulated by the business unit, concludes its investigation into Greensill Capital. The results of the investigation have not yet been made public.
Lex Greensill faces the possibility of being disqualified as a company director for up to 15 years.
The Financial Times revealed in 2021 that Cameron lobbied the British government extensively to increase Greensill Capital's access to the Covid-19 loan scheme.
Lex Greensill, the son of an Australian melon farmer, enjoyed privileged connections with British government officials as he built his own supply chain finance business.
He had a desk and security pass within the Cabinet Office, according to the board's review of Greensill Capital and its ties to the government. In 2017, he was awarded a CBE for “services to the economy”.
Lex Greensill and Greensill Capital are currently engaged in legal proceedings in multiple jurisdictions.
In Switzerland, Lex Greensill has been named as a suspect along with four former Credit Suisse bankers in a case centered on mis-selling allegations involving the bank's ties to Greensill Capital The collapse of a $10 billion investment fund. His lawyer declined to comment at the time, citing instructions from Swiss prosecutors not to discuss the investigation.
One of Greensill's major clients is GFG Alliance, Sanjeev Gupta's metals group, which has borrowed $5 billion from Greensill Capital. GFG is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over its financing arrangements with the company. GFG denies any wrongdoing.
Taxpayers may be on the hook for £2 million in redundancy payments from the National Insurance Fund to staff at management company Greensill Capital, according to the Department for Business.
In December, Enterprise and Markets Minister Kevin Hollinrake said the redundant payment services company had submitted a claim to Greensill Capital's administrators in April last year. He said he was unsure whether the funds would be recovered.
“Any funds available for distribution in the insolvent company will be disbursed by the administrator in accordance with the legal priority of payment by creditors,” he said.
The business unit did not respond to a request for comment. Downing Street said the government would not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
Additional reporting by Robert Smith
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