Sir Bradley Wiggins has been named as one of the alleged investors in a notorious tax avoidance scheme.
The British cyclist, 37, was reportedly part of the the charitable Cup Trust scheme, which used artificial gift aid claims to help donors reduce their tax bills.
It is not known how much Wiggins invested but the trust reported donations of £176million in 2010 and 2011 while giving only £150,000 to good causes.
It was closed down by the Charity Commission last year. There is no suggestion that the arrangement was illegal.
Sir Bradley Wiggins has been named as one of the alleged investors in a notorious tax avoidance scheme
A report by MPs found that Wiggins and his team ‘crossed an ethical line’ by using performance enhancing drugs which he strongly denied during an interview
MPs concluded that Sir Bradley Wiggins (left, riding in the Tour de France in 2012 and right, holding his knighthood award in 2013) used drugs to boost his performance
Margaret Hodge, former chairwoman of the Commons public accounts committee, described the Cup Trust as the most shocking of all tax avoidance schemes.
She said: ‘To exploit a mechanism designed to encourage charitable giving in order to avoid tax is just disgusting.’
A spokesman for Wiggins told The Times he had ‘settled all tax liabilities a number of years ago and has paid all taxes due’.
HMRC said it worked closely with the Charity Commission ‘to make sure that charities meet their responsibilities and to ensure the UK’s tax rules are respected across the board’.
It comes after Sir Bradley battled to salvage his reputation after MPs accused of him of using drugs to enhance his performance.
He has insisted he ‘100 per cent did not cheat’ and believes he is the victim of a smear campaign.
A report by MPs found that Wiggins and his team ‘crossed an ethical line’ by using performance enhancing drugs.
However the Tour De France winner has since claimed that at no point in his career has he crossed that line.
The type of drugs used by Wiggins are allowed under anti-doping rules to enhance performance instead of just for medical purposes.
He said: ‘I refute that 100 per cent. This is malicious, this is someone trying to smear me’, during an interview with the BBC.
Adding: ‘I’d have had more rights if I’d murdered someone’
‘I have worked and had the passion I have had for 15 to 20 years and to do that to the sport…it is the worst thing to be accused of.
‘It is also the hardest thing to prove you haven’t done,’ he said. ‘We’re not dealing in a legal system. I’d have had more rights if I had murdered someone.’
Ministers on the digital, culture, media and sport committee rejected claims he used the drug to simply treat asthma
Wiggins added that he is the victim of a ‘witch hunt’ which is impacting his children’s time at school.
He said the report was ‘based on rumour’, adding: ‘Who are these sources? Come out. Go on record. This is serious stuff.’
He was granted the therapeutic use exemption to take the drug which treats allergies and respiratory issues shorty before the 2011 Tour De France, his 2012 Tour win and the 2013 Giro d’Italia.
Team Sky said it ‘strongly refutes’ the report’s ‘serious claim that medication has been used by the team to enhance performance’.
What are Sir Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky accused of?
MPS have accused the cyclist and his team of using a powerful steroid called triamcinolone to help him in several races, including his historic Tour de France win.
They said Wiggins had used the drug – which was allowed under an exemption to treat asthma – to instead improve his performance.
The committee concluded that a suspect medical package carried across Europe in a jiffy bag was also triamcinolone – despite Team Sky claiming it was nothing more than a decongestant.
What is triamcinolone?
It is an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat asthma, pollen allergies, eczema and arthritis, which can be administered orally, by injection, by inhalation, or as a cream.
What is the fuss about Wiggins taking the drug?
It has a history of abuse in cycling because it allows cyclists to lose weight, delay fatigue, and help their recovery. Though its use does not violate the World Anti-Doping Agency code, critics have questioned whether its use by Team Sky, which boasts a zero-drug policy, is ethical.
When did questions emerge about Wiggins and Team Sky?
In 2016, Russian hackers revealed Wiggins had received intramuscular injections of triamcinolone before three grand tours, including the Tour de France in 2012. This was followed by a Daily Mail report revealing Wiggins received a suspect medical package in a jiffy bag at a race in France in June 2011.
Was Wiggins investigated by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)?
Yes. An investigation into whether the jiffy bag did indeed contain triamcinolone began in September 2016. A year later the watchdog ruled there was not sufficient evidence and no charges were made.