Axiom Legal Financing Fund sacks Tangerine Investment Management amidst fraud allegations

The directors of Cayman based Axiom Legal Financing Fund, the embattled fund at the centre of a storm of serious fraud allegations, are reported to have sacked the current investment managers, Tangerine Investment Management.

Last month all redemptions in the fund were suspended following a flood of redemption requests in the wake of allegations made by OffshoreAlert about Tangerine’s boss, Tim Schools, and management of the fund.   The seriousness of the allegations made by OffshoreAlert has escalated over the past couple of months, and now includes claims that the fund appears to be a Ponzi scheme and that investors have been defrauded. 

Mr Schools, Tangerine and the Fund have all strenuously denied any wrongdoing, and Mr Schools has indicated that he will be taking defamation proceedings against OffshoreAlert.  Despite this, Mr Schools stepped down as head of Tangerine following publication of the allegations.  He is separately under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England in relation to alleged misconduct at ATM Solicitors, an English solicitors firm he sold last year.  His case has been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, where it will be heard in due course. The allegations are as yet unproven and again Mr Schools strongly denies any wrongdoing.

KPMG Cayman was appointed by Axiom to carry out an independent review of operations and it was said that Tangerine was “actively cooperating with that review”.  The output of that review was expected by today at the latest, but whilst it is understood that the directors have seen a draft of the report, the final version will be delayed as KPMG have now been asked to provide interim advisory services in the light of Tangerine’s removal and need to focus on this as their priority.  KPMG’s role will be to preserve the fund’s assets, to interact with a panel of law firms to determine their short-term funding requirements for the progression of cases and to gather proposals for the ongoing management of the fund.  The delay of the publication of the report will doubtless be a disappointment to the many investors in the £100 million fund, who are desperate to know whether there investment is safe and whether there is any truth in the allegations.

In a letter dated 14 November, the directors said that an Extraordinary General Meeting will be held in December at which the directors, will present proposals regarding the continued management of the fund.

There is no explanation in the letter as to why Tangerine’s appointment has been terminated.  It is therefore not clear whether the action is because KPMG have found prima facie evidence of wrongdoing, or simply that the step was necessary to restore credibility in the fund’s management in light of the allegations.