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| Denying all charges - Friedman still claims he never did anything wrong |
Sarawak Report has learnt that FBC Media, the
production company exposed for taking nearly a hundred million ringgit to
showcase Najib Razak, Taib Mahmud and other BN politicians and leaders from the
palm oil business on its programmes, has gone into administration in the UK and
sacked all its UK staff.
Someone,
who would appear to be a former employee, has written to Sarawak
Report making clear their level of disgust at the
treatment by the multi-millionaire Chairman of the
company, Alan Friedman, of his employees, many of whom were carrying out
“entirely legitimate work”.
The
correspondent says that the staff only learnt of their redundancy when they
arrived at work on Monday morning to find baliffs changing the locks to
the offices. Friedman had closed up without warning and so
far without paying many freelance workers, who are apparently owed tens of
thousands of pounds in some cases.
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| In the limelight - FBC's coverage of Davos was a key source of credibility for Friedman |
Friedman, who lives a luxury lifestyle in
Rome from the earnings he has made over the past decade operating FBC Media,
now appears to be planning to base his remaining activities out of Italy,
meaning UK creditors will be unlikely to be able to access the money he
owes.
The
writer comments:
”It
remains to be seen whether Mr Friedman will look to what remains of his
reputation and consider honouring those debts from his own personal and
substantial funds or whether he expects innocent parties to bear the financial
burden brought on by the collapse of FBC Media due to his alleged actions”.
According
to the insider, the former PR man come TV producer continues to deny
all the charges against him that he broke broadcasting laws by promoting
PR clients on his TV shows.
 |
| Key client - Najib Razak paid FBC nearly 100 million ringgit and introduced Friedman to Taib Mahmud |
Nevertheless, his major clients CNBC and BBC
World have severed all programming by FBC Media and the media watchdo Ofcom is
currently conducting an enquiry into the company’s breech of regulations.
The full
story of Sarawak Report’s expose of FBC Media and the company’s links to Taib
Mahmud can be read in the Dirty Tricks section
of this website. We would like to offer our heartfelt commiseration to
all hard-working staff who have lost out because of the unethical activities of
some of FBC’s bosses and their failure to honour their obligations to people
who have worked for them.
This
is the email in full:
FBC Media has now gone into administration and all employees made
redundant. They learned of their redundancy on Monday 24 October when baliffs
arrived to change the locks on the offices. Whilst staff have been paid many
freelancers are still owed tens of thousands of pounds, for entirely legitimate
work for various clients carried out over the past few months. FBC Group (based
in Rome) is still operating. It appears as if most assets belong to the
separate italian based company which the UK administrators cannot access. Alan
Friedman has homes in Rome, Tuscany and Bali but his creditors face a bleak
future. Mr Friedman has expressly said the company wouldn’t fold and that all
allegations being made against the company were untrue. Mr Eckart Sager (President)
also sought to reassure creditors before the collapse of the company that
people would be paid. It remains to be seen whether Mr Friedman will look to
what remains of his reputation and consider honouring those debts from his own
personal and substantial funds or whether he expects innocent parties to bear
the financial burden brought on by the collapse of FBC Media due to his alleged
actions. 26/10/11
Source : Sarawak Report
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