ABTA has confirmed the appointment of Simon Bunce as
its new head of legal services. The appointment follows the suspension of
Riccardo Nardi who has been implicated in the £1 million Newman Street fraud.
In a statement last week Newman Street said Nardi is
no longer with the association, although it refused to confirm whether he had
resigned or been sacked.
Bunce has been acting head of ABTA’s
legal department since Nardi was suspended last month.
A civil claim by ABTA has been issued against Nardi to
recover damages of £960,000 for reasons including ‘fraud, misrepresentation
and/or breach of fiduciary duty and/or knowing breach of trust’.
Bunce joined ABTA as a legal adviser in 1996. His
duties will now include managing a team of six and he will also be proposed as
the association’s company secretary at the next annual general meeting, a
position formerly held by Nardi. The AGM is set for April 29.
Meanwhile, ABTA said investigations have shown that no
other employees have been implicated in the fraud.
Chief executive Ian Reynolds
said: “We have not found any evidence to suggest any other member of staff
might have been involved.”