Tory donor Guiseppe ‘Joe’ Ricotta with his leadership choice Boris Johnson, who received a £10,000 donation from the businessman
A Tory-supporting transport tycoon who helped fund Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign was accused of paying £2million in ‘bribes’ during a major court battle, it emerged today.
Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Ricotta was sued by BFS Group, part of South African food giant Bidvest, who said they paid £45million for his PCL Transport business in 2015 when it its true value was allegedly ‘negligible or nil’.
Court papers filed by BFS and seen by the Mirror said: ‘Mr Ricotta has the propensity to make secret payments to those in a position to influence business decisions.’
Mr Ricotta, who is a senior member of the Westminster Italian Conservatives, gave £10,000 to Boris Johnson when he ran for party leader in July having previously donated £30,000 the Tories.
His social media profiles are packed with pictures of him posing with the current PM and his predecessor Theresa May as well as other senior Tories including Sajid Javid, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove.
His business interests include a property portfolio in the UK, Spain and his parents’ hometown in Sicily as well two Italian restaurants in Britain, where he has welcomed star guests including Robert de Niro, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese and Sylvester Stallone.
The Spurs fan’s Marbella holiday home business is also a major sponsor of British boxing, including star heavyweight Tyson Fury.
But today it was claimed he was at the centre of a bitter legal battle later settled out of court – although he has always denied any wrongdoing or handing out any bribes.
Mr Ricotta, who is a senior member of the Westminster Italian Conservatives, is a restaurateur who has spent time with stars including Martin Scorsese and Al Pacino. He was accused of giving bribes to get contracts – a claim he denies
He is also friendly with Robert de Nero with the pair posing in a number of photos together
In this signed photo Sly Stallone praises Joe’s ‘great jaw’ while pretending to punch him
His PCL business, which was set up in 2009, is one of Britain’s top transport company moving food in chilled trucks. He sold it to BFL six years later.
BFS alleged in court papers that Mr Ricotta – or his businesses – gave ‘secret payments’ to a senior worker from dairy giant Arla ‘to secure a lucrative contract’ and an allegedly subsidised break at a villa in Marbella.
A total of £745,000 was handed over between 2013 to 2015 ‘to ensure Arla’s approval to the change of control of PCL’, the papers said.
Mr Ricotta with boxing heavyweight star Tyson Fury
Arla said in a statement, according to the Mirror: ‘There is no allegation that anyone else in Arla was aware of the alleged payments and no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing by [the employee] was found. [The employee] left in 2016 shortly after these allegations came to light.’
BFS also alleged Mr Ricotta or his businesses gave monthly payments of £3,000 to £7,500, totalling £213,300, to their own former managing director of logistics, Shaun Foley, claiming he ‘was primarily responsibly for dealing with Mr Ricotta’.
The court claim said: ‘Mr Foley and Mr Ricotta failed to declare their interests and Bidvest acquired PCL on false pretences for a significantly inflated price of £45million. The true value was negligible or nil.’
It was also alleged he paid three sums totalling more than £1.2million to a company owned Mr Foley’s associates. Mr Foley, who now works in the US, ‘vigorously contested’ the claims.
In April 2017 Mr Ricotta’s defence lawyer said on his behalf: ‘The claims are entirely denied – there were no bribes.’
He said money given to Mr Roley was a retainer for project advice but added: ‘It is admitted Mr Ricotta did not tell senior officers at Bidvest about the payments to Mr Foley or discuss with them the extent of his relationship with him.’
Mr Ricotta with de Niro and Pacino who recently starred together in Scorsese’s The Irishman
The British businessman also has interests in Sicily, where his family is from, and he is shown here at an event with Arnold Schwarzenegger
BFS has declined to comment.
The case against Mr Ricotta was settled out of court with BFS, according to the Mirror. A settlement does not mean an admission and police were not involved.
Labour MP Andy Slaughter has flagged the case to Serious Fraud Office, and told the newspaper: ‘These are serious allegations. I don’t know if they are true but they should be examined and a full investigation launched if merited.’