UK directors fined in first company ID verification cases
Jill White, Marc Dillon and Modinat Banjo were fined at City of London Magistrates’ Court after failing to verify their identities with Companies House, the Insolvency Service said.
Three company directors have been fined for failing to verify their identities with Companies House, in the first such prosecutions, the Insolvency Service has said.
Jill White and Marc Dillon, directors of White (Reading Properties) Limited, and Modinat Banjo, director of J Isogony Apparel Limited, were fined at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.
Identity verification became a legal requirement for company directors under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which strengthened Companies House powers to tackle the misuse of UK companies for criminal purposes.
Newly appointed directors have had to verify their identity from 18 November 2025, while existing directors must do so during a 12-month transition period, when filing the company’s next confirmation statement.
Daniel Hart, Senior Criminal Lawyer at the Insolvency Service, said identity verification formed “a key part of efforts to improve the accuracy of the Companies House register and tackle economic crime”.
Directors had “responsibilities not only for their own compliance but also for ensuring unverified individuals do not continue acting as directors on behalf of a company”, Hart said, adding that in both cases, multiple opportunities were given to comply before enforcement action was taken.
“There is no option to opt out. Directors who continue to act without verifying their identity risk investigation and prosecution,” Hart added.
White, 62, of Speen, Buckinghamshire, continued acting as a director and signing company accounts while unverified, only completing the process in early September – about nine months after the deadline – shortly before appearing in court, the Insolvency Service said.
Dillon, 62, of Benson, Oxfordshire, had already completed identity verification but was prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to stop White continuing as an unverified director, despite being aware of the legal requirement.
Both were also convicted after their company failed to file a confirmation statement on time: White was fined £166, plus £85 costs and a £66 victim surcharge, and Dillon was fined £307, plus £85 costs and a £123 victim surcharge.
Banjo, 50, of London, signed and delivered company accounts on behalf of J Isogony Apparel Limited while unverified and completed the process only around 28 May, the Insolvency Service said. Banjo was also convicted for failing to file a confirmation statement on time and was fined £80, plus £85 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.
Martin Swain, Director of Intelligence and Law Enforcement Engagement at Companies House, said the prosecutions marked “an important milestone” and sent “a clear message that identity verification is not optional”.
Company directors who have not yet verified their identity should do so as soon as possible, free of charge online through Companies House or via an authorised corporate service provider, the Insolvency Service said.
