The former Sugababes member has been left bankrupt after her accountant ignored her staggering tax bill which has amassed over $800k since her departure from the girlband.
- Apr 8, 2020
AceShowbiz - Former Sugababes star Amelle Berrabah was declared bankrupt after her accountant bungled a massive $801,964 tax bill.
The "About a Girl" hitmaker, 35, got a bankruptcy order in 2013 when accountant Ben White did not file her returns to U.K. authority HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after the band split, according to Britain's The Sun newspaper.
The publication reported a tribunal heard that "cavalier" White had not tried to have the order stopped, and claimed he did not receive messages asking how her case was progressing, as the bill lingered.
Amelle, who joined the band in 2005 following the departure of original member Mutya Buena, said her management bosses told her not to worry about finances, and claimed she was "always given the impression that everything was being done."
While the "Red Dress" hitmaker believed White would sort the bill, he claimed the star had "buried her head in the sand" when it came to her finances. However, officials at the Institute of Chartered Accountants said her bankruptcy "might have been avoided or postponed" if White had acted properly.
He was fined $9,233 with $102,178 in costs.
