Pressure was mounting on credit card provider E-Clear today as Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond demanded a government investigation into the collapse of Globespan Group.
Salmond called for an inquiry after it emerged E-Clear had witheld up to £34 million from the airline, prompting suggestions that it may have been the cause of its demise.
“There is a case for serious investigation by the department for business regulation,” he said.
Scottish finance minister John Swinney has also called for an inquiry, saying the airline has been “badly let down” by E-Clear.
Administrator Bruce Cartwright of PricewaterhouseCooper is meeting E-Clear today to agree an estimate of the likely chargebacks for forward bookings.
Any money recovered will go Globespan’s creditors, who include 4,500 customers abroad when the airline collapsed and thousands of hoidaymakers who were not covered by ATOL or their credit card company.
It has also emerged that Globespan issued a winding up order against E-Clear last Wednesday with the Companies Court. A hearing has been pencilled in for February 10.