Estate agent brothers are banned

A ruling banning two estate agents from selling houses after exploiting a widow has been upheld.

Brothers Claudio and Luigi Ascione, of Woking, encouraged their vulnerable client to sell her property at a knock-down price to a company they ran themselves.

They did this without revealing their personal interest, according to the Department for Trade and Industry.

The customer, who has not been named, was anxious to sell up quickly following the death of her husband.

The deal led to the pair being sacked from their jobs at a leading estate agents' firm and banned from operating in the profession.

Neither Claudio, who was then a branch manager for the agency, nor Luigi, then an area manager, told their employer about the deal.

The brothers appealed against the ruling but it was upheld by Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt yesterday. They can now appeal to the High Court.