Manx company's Everton involvement questioned in Paradise Papers

Mon, 06 Nov 2017

Farhad Moshiri sold his shares in Arsenal to buy a stake in Everton last year

A Manx company linked to the sale of Everton Football Club insists it's committed to responsible business conduct.

Bridgewaters Limited, which is based in Douglas, was named by BBC Panorama as the company that administered Farhad Moshiri's purchase of almost 50% of the Merseyside club in 2016 after selling his stake in Arsenal.

The programme alleged that Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, who owns just over 30% of Arsenal, gifted Moshiri money to purchase the original Arsenal shares, suggesting that Usmanov's money is now in Everton.

Panorama also claimed other documents in the Paradise Papers point to Bridgewaters being secretly taken over Usmanov in 2011 - this has been denied by both parties.

The second part of the Panorama investigation will be aired tonight.