BBC star and her husband were paid more than £500,000 to promote major tax avoidance scheme

BBC star Gabby Logan and her ex-Rugby player husband were paid more than £500,000 in commission to promote a major tax avoidance scheme to celebrity friends.

The payments were made for attending star-studded events, including Royal Ascot, to entertain ‘wealthy individuals’ and introduce them to the tax avoidance venture.

The scheme – used by celebrities including popstar Gary Barlow and Olympian turned BBC pundit Colin Jackson – sparked a huge public backlash when it was exposed.

Mrs Logan, who was the face of the BBC’s Qatar World Cup coverage, said in 2014 she had invested in the scheme ‘in good faith’ as she believed it was ‘a way of funding new acts in the music industry’.

Now questions have arisen after a court battle revealed that companies linked to the Logans received £518,405 in commission for introducing ‘customers or potential customers’ to the tax avoidance venture.

Gabby Logan and her husband Kenny received payments for attending star-studded events, including Royal Ascot, to entertain ‘wealthy individuals’ and introduce them to the tax avoidance venture

The firm running this ploy, Welbeck Solutions, sold hundreds of the country’s most notorious tax avoidance schemes, including the Icebreaker and Liberty products favoured by celebs.

Welbeck, founded by Greg Knight, was dubbed ‘Britain’s biggest seller of tax avoidance products’ by the Press and HMRC said it could have cost taxpayers’ up to £120million.

Mrs Logan, 49, who is paid up to £205,000 per year by the BBC, reportedly invested ‘thousands’ into Icebreaker, which offered tax relief as it purported to support Britain’s creative industries.

There is no suggestion of illegality on the part of Mr or Mrs Logan, or any other celebrities mentioned.

Former Scotland and Wasps rugby player Kenny Logan, 50, attended ‘numerous’ events on behalf of Welbeck to entertain potential customers of the tax scheme, lawyers representing firms linked to the Logans admitted.

BBC star Gabby Logan and her ex-Rugby player husband Kenny Logan (pictured) were paid more than £500,000 in commission to promote a major tax avoidance scheme to celebrity friends

Welbeck went bust in 2017, leaving a swathe of unpaid debts that are now being pursued through the courts, including £518,405 plus interest of about £500,000 from one company controlled by the Logans and another by Mr Logan and a former teammate.

Gwilym Jones, co-founder of Henderson & Jones which has taken on the claim, said: ‘Companies controlled by Kenny Logan and Gabby Logan worked with Welbeck to sell tax avoidance schemes and tried to disguise their income from this as ‘loans’ to avoid paying (yet more) tax.

‘We consider the companies’ accounts are clear – these payments were treated as loans, which now have to be repaid.’

Welbeck’s company accounts suggest these payments were made as loans but, while it is accepted that the firms linked to the Logans received this money, lawyers representing the companies say they were ‘commission’ payments so do not have to be repaid.

The scheme – used by celebrities including popstar Gary Barlow (pictured) and Olympian turned BBC pundit Colin Jackson – sparked a huge public backlash when it was exposed

Documents filed at the High Court on behalf of companies connected to the Logans say that the purpose of these firms was to ‘introduce wealthy individuals to [Welbeck] in order that they might buy financial services offered by those businesses’, adding: ‘In consequence of those introductions and the business that resulted from them commission became payable.’

They add: ‘In about April 2010 Mr Logan, at Mr Knight’s request, began to attend functions and other events for the purpose of entertaining customers and potential customers of Mr Knight’s businesses… Mr Logan attended numerous such events during the period 2010 to 2013.’

In a statement published on her website in 2014, Mrs Logan said: ‘I was advised about a business opportunity six years ago (2008) and I invested in good faith.

‘It was explained to me as a way of funding new acts in the music industry. Because of information which came to light in 2012, I decided the investment was not right for me.’

Mrs Logan added that she fully intended to ‘pay any tax which should have been paid’ and said she had been ‘completely open and honest with HMRC’.

At the time the tax avoidance scheme was being used by celebrities, two of the companies connected to the Logans also shared an accountant with Welbeck, court filings show.

The trial is due to begin on May 3, and it is anticipated that if the trial goes ahead Mr and Mrs Logan could be called as witnesses.

The Logans did not respond to requests for comment.