"These debts are historic. They go back over many years. While some of the issues were worked on in more recent times, the full scale of the problem only became visible during the leadership change in 2025," the Update states. "Once the Board understood the full picture, it was clear that there was no responsible way forward other than liquidation."
Investors claim that, when the facade was exposed, they still hoped they could be bailed out by the £157m worth of diamonds they were told were held in stock. However, the remaining gemstones were valued at just £100,000, a BBC Panorama investigation claims. In 2021, allegedly incorrect accounting figures were published on Companies House, recording sales of more than £100m when the real sales figures that year were reportedly only £5m.
We have reached the point where we can no longer continue to operate in the normal course. Because of this, TPX will be filing what is called a Notice of Intention to Make a Proposal (NOI) under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. I want you to know this is not a step I wanted to take.
Creditors' voluntary liquidations remain the process companies most commonly enter into - and their consistently high numbers reflect the ongoing challenges, high costs and political and economic uncertainty businesses face.
Insolvency can lead to severe legal consequences, such as personal liability for company debts, if directors do not act in the best interests of creditors.
