Luton Town have been fined £50,000 and deducted 10 points for the start of the new season.
Financially stricken club hit with new blow
Luton Town have been fined £50,000 and deducted 10 points for the start of the new season after being found guilty of 15 charges of misconduct relating to transfer regulations.
The League Two club, currently in administration, have been the recent subject of an investigation by the Regulatory Commission, chaired by Peter Griffiths QC.
A series of hearings were conducted into over 40 charges of misconduct involving breaches of The FA and Fifa regulations brought against Luton, its former directors and a number of licensed agents.
In making his judgement, Peter Griffiths QC insisted there was no evidence of any 'bungs or backhanders passed on to agents', but he did say that the club had been run with 'a flagrant disregard for the regulations laid down to protect the game'.
Former Hatters chairman Bill Tomlins was charged with being the most culpable in the club's breaking of transfer regualtions.
Tomlins culpable
"The person principally responsible for Luton Town Football Club's serious misconduct was, without doubt, Mr Bill Tomlins, the former Chairman of the Club," read the Regulatory Commission statement.
"During the relevant period he worked virtually full time as the principal Director, and was effectively its Chief Executive Officer. It was he who disregarded rules that he knew were in place to protect the game despite being warned informally that it was wrong.
"Of the former directors of Luton Town Football Club, the next most culpable was Mr Derek Peter, the Financial Director, a qualified accountant. It was he who, jointly with Mr Bill Tomlins, authorised the irregular payments from Jayten Stadium Limited to the Agents and indeed, continued to do so even after his fellow directors, Mr Richard Bagehot and Mr John Mitchell made it clear to both of them that all such payments should cease.
"That being said, the Regulatory Commission is satisfied that Mr Derek Peter was considerably less culpable than Mr Bill Tomlins."
As a result of the investigation, Tomlins has been fined and suspended from all football and football activities for five years.
Former financial director Derek Peter was also banned from the game - for a year - and fined £3,750 in relation to seven charges, while former directors Richard Bagehot and John Mitchell were fined £750 and £250 respectively and reprimanded for 'failing to a immediately report the relevant wrongdoing to the Football League'.
The six agents involved in the case - Andrew Mills, Sky Andrew, Steven Denos, Mike Berry, David Manasseh and Mark Curtis - were warned as to their future conduct over a charge of 'failing to have in place a written representation contract with Luton Town Football Club'.
