An accountant who defrauded an upmarket London jewellery business of £300,000, spending the cash on luxury cars and tickets to Manchester United, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years
Mikiel Aurokium worked for family firm Richard Ogden Fine Jewellery, based in the iconic Burlington Arcade in Mayfair, Southwark Crown Court heard. He took on the role in 2001, when the company’s founder retired and passed on the business to his son and daughter-in-law.
The court was told that Aurokium began siphoning money out of the company accounts around 2002, but this was only discovered in 2015 when he went on a holiday to his native Mauritius. Ogden family members opened a bank statement during his absence to discover Aurokium had obtained a credit card for himself on the company account. Subsequent examination of the accounts revealed sums of money had been misappropriated.
The court heard evidence that Aurokium bought a Jaguar with a personalised number plate and paid for season tickets at Old Trafford for three years.
Aurokium pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position at his trial. He has already reached a civil court settlement and has paid back £300,000 to Richard Ogden, as well as £50,000 in interest and £75,000 court costs.
Sentencing him, the judge said: ‘the owners put their faith and financial trust in you to handle their affairs honestly and properly.’
Richard Ogden fine Jewellery has been contacted for comment.
