Advocate Philip Sinel at the launch of Sintel Global Picture: DAVID FERGUSON (00948429)

AN Island law firm that last week launched a business intelligence agency told how it had already used the skills to spot problems with a finance company two years before its demise.

At the launch of Sintel Global, Advocate Philip Sinel told how his law firm, Sinels, had managed to get its people out of the Belgravia Group early but paid in full.

He said the demise of Belgravia brought about the ‘unexpected loss of money, investments, jobs, reputations, careers and livelihoods’. Belgravia had come to national prominence in 2006 when it was involved in an unsuccessful bid to buy Newcastle Utd.

Last year it was connected to a group that ran Notts County FC for a period and appointed former England boss Sven Goren Eriksson as manager.

‘Sinels called this two years out. We traded information on it, we took advantage before, during and after the demise of Belgravia and we put our clients in the best possible position,’ he said.