Ashley hits back at Jones’ loan claims
The bitter row between Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley and JJB Sport’s executive chairman Sir David Jones intensified yesterday after Ashley released a contract showing that the £1.5m personal loan was paid after Jones joined JJB’s board, contradicting a former statement by the group.
The loan agreement, a copy of which has been seen by City PM, is dated 24 February 2009 and states that the loan was paid into Jones’ HSBC account on 25 October 2007, 22 days after Jones joined the board of JJB on 3 October that year.
JJB Sports maintains its claims that the loan was “initiated before Sir David joined the company as a non-executive director” and “does not give rise to any conflict of interest”.
Ashley is now believed to be readying to hand the document to the FSA.