Ethical Forestry Limited

The Director of the SFO has opened a criminal investigation into an alleged fraudulent investment scheme marketed by Ethical Forestry Limited and associated companies between 2007 and 2015.

The Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance Department has also opened a confiscation investigation into all suspects.

On 8 March 2017, the SFO, in conjunction with Dorset Police, executed search warrants at three addresses in Dorset (Poole, Ferndown and Boscombe).

The investigation into Ethical Forestry Limited is continuing. 

Investors who meet the following criteria may be able to claim compensation from the Financial Service Compensation Scheme (“FSCS”) if:

1. The investment was via a Self-Invested Personal Pension Plan (SIPP);
2. They were advised by an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) who is no longer in business;
3. The IFA was registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

For further information please visit the FSCS website at https://claims.fscs.org.uk/.

Investors questionnaire

The SFO would like to thank those investors who have already completed our investigation questionnaire.

If you have invested funds into Ethical Forestry Limited and have not yet completed our investigation questionnaire, we would ask that you do so.  The questionnaire can be found on the SFO website at https://sfovla.egressforms.com/.

Should you have any queries or require assistance completing our questionnaire, please contact dedicated our Support Officer, Des Noble on tel: 020 7239 7444 or email: ethical@sfo.gsi.gov.uk. 

For legal reasons the SFO cannot comment on individual cases nor respond to every enquiry for information. Investors may wish to contact their financial advisor and/or seek independent legal advice if they are concerned about their investment.

Retention of Documents

Investors in Ethical Forestry Ltd should advise the SFO if they have any documents relating to their investment. This includes any documents or correspondence held in an electronic format, for example emails. Please do not dispose or destroy any of this information as it may be valuable to our investigation.