Clipper Group A/S Chief Says Operations Unaffected by Tax Jail Sentences

Clipper Group A/S, a closely-held shipping company, said a tax probe that has led to jail sentences and fines for 94 present and former employees has no impact on the company

because it’s matter between the workers and Danish authorities.
“We as a company have done nothing wrong,” Chief Executive Officer Per Gullestrup said today via telephone from Copenhagen. “It’s an unfortunate situation for the employees in question and I can’t speculate as to why some didn’t pay their taxes. This will have no effect on our operations.”
The company had paid bonuses to employees from its Bahamas office from the late 1990s to 2007, instructing Danish-based workers each year that they were obligated to report the income to Denmark’s tax authority, Gullestrup said. A Danish court handed jail sentences to four current and former employees and fined another 90 for not reporting the income, Copenhagen-based broadcaster DR said earlier this week.
“None of the people who received jail sentences held high- ranking positions at Clipper,” Gullestrup said. Clipper doesn’t plan any sanctions against the employees whom the court found guilty, he said. “When they have settled the matter with the authorities, they are welcome to work at Clipper.”
Source: Bloomberg