By Dave Lord

A SPOKESMAN at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office yesterday confirmed that a man synonymous with Perth’s famous motor trade could be investigated after a sheriff branded him a “stranger to the truth.”

Sheriff Michael Anderson insisted Norman Dickson had been involved in some “highly dubious” business dealings, including the possible raiding of a company pension fund for personal gain.

In a report issued following a civil case at Perth Sheriff Court, the sheriff suggested that HMRC carry out a “full and thorough investigation of the affairs of Norman Dickson.”

Although no inquiries have yet been made, a spokesman at HMRC confirmed they would “look at” any information provided to them.

When contacted by The Courier a spokesman said, “We cannot talk about particular business ventures with third parties.

“However—and although we have no information relating to this matter at the moment—if anybody provides us with information we will certainly look into it.”

The name of Dickson is well known in Perth and the family firm staked its reputation on being a company you could trust.

However, Sheriff Anderson was clearly far from convinced and in his 140-page dossier—released following the acrimonious break-up of a business partnership between Mr Dickson (54) and John Gray (62)—he said Mr Dickson’s truthfulness could be “seriously undermined.”

The sheriff also accused the Perth businessman of being involved in a scheme “intended to benefit himself at the expense of a pension fund, the (business) partnership and very possibly the public purse.”

Sheriff Anderson eventually concluded that Mr Dickson had met all his liabilities following the collapse of the partnership but nevertheless called into question the businessman’s honesty and conduct.

“It seems to me that HMRC may be well advised to conduct a full and thorough investigation of the affairs of Norman Dickson and any company in which he has a significant interest,” he said. “The expression ‘a stranger to the truth’ could have been coined with Mr Dickson expressly in mind.”

There was no answer at Mr Dickson’s business premises in Perth yesterday.