Devon Taxi Driver Ordered to Repay Over £60,000 After Fraudulently Securing Covid Loans for Turkish Flat and Pizza Oven

A Devon taxi driver has been ordered to repay over £60,000 after fraudulently obtaining £100,000 through the Bounce Back Loan scheme, which was designed to assist businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Murat Dogantekin, aged 52, cynically inflated his taxi business’s turnover by more than £350,000, using the funds for personal purchases including a flat in Turkey, a car, and a pizza oven.

Financial Penalties Imposed

At Exeter Crown Court on 8 September, a confiscation order amounting to £63,790 was issued against Dogantekin, reflecting the value of the assets identified by financial investigators from the Insolvency Service. He has been given a three-month deadline to repay this amount. Should he fail to comply, Dogantekin could face an additional five years in prison, while still being required to repay the full confiscation order.

In February 2025, he was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison after it was revealed that he had fraudulently secured two Bounce Back Loans of £50,000 each in 2020. Investigators discovered that he had exaggerated the turnover of his taxi business significantly, claiming it to be £200,000 for one business and £205,000 for another, which was falsely named Ola Taxis.

Fraudulent Claims and Consequences

Dogantekin’s claims were unsupported by any evidence, and it was determined that the second business he named was actually associated with one of his clients, created to disguise his ineligibility for a second loan. His declared earnings for the tax year ending April 2020 were only £16,500, indicating that he had overstated his turnover by £388,500 across his applications. Had he provided accurate figures, he would have only qualified for a single loan of £4,125, meaning he wrongfully obtained £95,875 in excess of what he was entitled to.

Financial investigations revealed that £48,000 of the Bounce Back Loan funds were used to purchase a two-bedroom flat in Turkey, along with a 2017 Peugeot for £2,840 and an additional £800 on a pizza oven. Notably, no repayments were made towards these loans prior to his bankruptcy declaration in November 2021.

Failure to Cooperate with Investigations

During the investigation, Dogantekin was interviewed by the Official Receiver and provided minimal documentation. He subsequently ignored eleven attempts by the Insolvency Service to contact him over a six-month span to obtain specific records. Additionally, he failed to attend a scheduled interview under caution, further complicating the investigation.

Alexander Grierson, Head of Asset Recovery at the Insolvency Service, emphasised the importance of the Bounce Back Loans, stating they were intended to support legitimate small and medium-sized enterprises during the pandemic, not to facilitate personal extravagances. He reaffirmed the commitment of the Insolvency Service to pursue fraudsters and recover funds acquired through dishonest means.

Further Information on Financial Conduct

For those seeking information regarding their obligations as directors, the Insolvency Service offers resources through its Director Information Hub. Additionally, details about the work of the Insolvency Service and how to report financial misconduct can be found on their official platforms.