The Chief Minister has confirmed the government never provided any support to two companies at the centre of a fraud investigation.

A BBC World Service investigation revealed last month that scammers operating from the Isle of Man fleeced more than £4m from victims through a huge investment fraud.

Six people have been convicted of fraud in a court in China for the scam, which took place between 2022 and 2023.

They had worked for a company called Manx Internet Commerce (MIC), registered at Bucks Road in Douglas.

MIC was part of a group of companies which included e-gaming firm King Gaming whose offices including those at Bucks Road were raided in April this year as part of investigation into allegations of fraud and money laundering.

Seven people were arrested and the island’s Gambling Supervision Commission moved to cancel both King Gaming and Dalmine’s licence.

The Gambling Supervision Commission also cancelled the licences of King Gaming and Dalmine Ltd. Both are registered at the same Buck Road address.

In response to the Tynwald written question from Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse, Chief Minister Alf Cannan confirmed no cash had been handed over to either company.

Mr Cannan said: ‘The Minister for Enterprise met with associated representatives of the named companies on October 30, 2023. No other Ministerial meetings are recorded in the last five years.

‘No financial support has been provided, either directly or indirectly.’

He added that he could not comment any further due to the ongoing police investigation.

The government previously said it will not hesitate to take action to protect the island from ‘those who stand to jeopardise and abuse’ our international reputation in a statement issued after the BBC investigation findings were revealed.

A lengthy investigation by BBC World Service found that 100 people had been transferred to the Isle of Man to work for MIC and initially operated from a former hotel close to Douglas seafront before being moved to former bank offices off Victoria Road.

They are alleged to have targeted Chinese investors in a sophisticated fraud.

A spokesman for the Manx government said: ‘The Isle of Man Government, and all of its relevant agencies and bodies, has a zero-tolerance attitude towards such activities and remains committed to being a respected international partner in terms of global efforts to identify, disrupt and prevent international criminal activity.

‘Maintaining the Isle of Man’s international reputation as a trusted and respected jurisdiction is of the utmost importance, and the Isle of Man Government will not hesitate to act to protect this in the face of those who stand to jeopardise and abuse it.

‘We wish to reaffirm that significant and wide-reaching action has been taken and that the businesses involved at the centre of these allegations are no longer in operation as a result of the actions taken by government.’