BANNING a married couple from being company directors is set to serve a ‘clear message’ to other Bromley businesses.

This is the intention of the government’s insolvency service which has disqualified Michael Brant for nine years and his wife Caroline for four years.

Their disqualification comes after an investigation into the workings of S E Services Appliance Repairs (SESAR) in Franklin Road, Penge.

Insolvency service investigators found Mr Brant, 58, breached a previous ban by acting as a director of the company, which was based in Franklin Road, Penge.

His 54-year-old wife was the sole registered director of this company but allowed Mr Brant to run it in breach of his ban.

Mr Brant’s earlier ban was for six years from July 2008 and related to a previous company SE Services Limited, which went into administration in August 2006.

SESAR went into administration in November 2010 with losses of more than £290,000.

More than £24,000 was diverted from the company shortly before administration and paid either to Mrs Brant or to a new company of which she was a director, Apolina Services Ltd.

After the decision to appoint the administrator, £15,500 was transferred from the SESAR bank account to Mrs Brant’s account.

Then, only five days before the company went into administration, Mr Brant instructed a customer to make payments due to SESAR into the bank account of Apolina Services Limited, the company that took over the business after the administration took effect.

As a result payments totalling £9,197 were diverted to the new company.

Mr and Mrs Brant have now both signed director disqualification undertakings and these have been accepted by the secretary of state.

Commenting on the bans the director of company investigations north at the Insolvency Service, Claire Entwistle, said: “The undertakings signed by Michael and Caroline Brant send a clear message to other company directors; if you run a business in a way that is detrimental to either its customers or its creditors you could be investigated by the Insolvency Service and as a result removed from the business environment.”