Full statement revealed as arrest warrant issued against Manchester United bidder Thomas Zilliacus

An arrest warrant has been issued against Thomas Zilliacus a year after he attempted to join the bidding war for Manchester United.

The Singapore Police Force has issued an arrest warrant for the ex-Manchester United takeover hopeful, with Thomas Zilliacus having been placed with an INTERPOL Red Notice after refusing to return to Singapore regarding charges against YuuZoo.

YuuZoo is a company where Zilliacus is CEO and Executive Chairman. The warrant mentions that the company’s former CEO, James Somasundram, was charged on Wednesday under the Securities and Futures Act.

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The warrant, which was issued on Thursday, February 22, reads: “As part of its listing obligations, YuuZoo released quarterly financial reports. Following investigations, several of such financial reports released by YuuZoo between 2015 and 2016 are alleged to have been misleading in material, particularly in that they overstated YuuZoo’s revenue by $4.6m to $18.8m.”

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Somasundram faces four different charges for his role, and if found guilty, he may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years and/or a fine not exceeding Singapore $250,000 for each charge.

Zilliacus has been alleged to have also been involved in the release of these statements along with CFO Michael Parker and Independent Directors Anthony Williams and Ozi Amanat.

Unlike those three, Zilliacus has been handed a Red Notice, which means INTERPOL are requesting another member state to locate him and execute steps to facilitate his surrender, extraditing him to Singapore.

In March 2023, Zilliacus released a statement and joined the bidding process for United alongside Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim. His plan included buying the entirety of the club and then selling 50 per cent to supporters, who would be provided with the opportunity to vote on key decisions on an app.

It was widely reported that his bid was not being taken seriously, and the Finnish philanthropist would eventually pull out of the race after accusing the Glazers of not being serious about selling the club.

Ratcliffe ultimately secured a minority stake in a deal which includes full sporting control of the football club.