Administrators at Arena Television are looking into the possible role of a supplier in an alleged scam at the outside broadcaster, which is accused of borrowing £280 million against thousands of non-existent assets.
Arena’s relationship with Sentinel Broadcast, a supplier of audiovisual equipment based in Hook, Hampshire, is a key line of inquiry for the insolvency practitioners, The Times understands.
Arena, whose directors’ whereabouts are unknown, collapsed into insolvency in November, two days after Richard Yeowart, its founder and owner, suddenly ordered it to cease trading after a concern was raised that an asset linked to a loan may not exist.
Yeowart, 54, and Robert Hopkinson, 41, a co-director, are said to have absconded and administrators from Kroll, the consulting firm, have estimated that 55