A bankruptcy petition against former rugby star Ugo Monye has been withdrawn after HM Revenue & Customs was unable to locate his address to serve papers.
The extraordinary development emerged during a High Court hearing on Tuesday.
It comes more than two months since it was revealed the former England and British and Irish Lions wing was facing financial ruin.
HMRC had first filed a petition against the 41-year-old almost four months ago.
Ugo Monte was revealed to be bankrupt earlier this year
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A source suggested HMRC had served a petition to an out-of-date address.
In proceedings before Judge Sally Barber, deputy bankruptcy registrar of the High Court, HMRC's legal representative sought permission to withdraw its petition.
The representative stated they had been unable to serve papers on Monye.
Judge Barber granted the withdrawal, saying: "You've been unable to serve it because you don't have knowledge of a place of residence where he currently lives. Permission to withdraw the bankruptcy petition granted."
HMRC declined to comment on why it could not locate Monye, who appears frequently on television and radio as a pundit.
The bankruptcy petition was lodged with the High Court on December 4, nearly a year after the liquidation of Monye's company.
HMRC had previously obtained a winding-up order against Monye's "physical well-being" company Show Me The Monye.
The company's last accounts showed it owed £108,562 in corporation tax and £72,967 in other tax and social security.
HMRC lodged a winding-up petition on August 1, 2023, with the winding-up order issued on December 6 of that year.
Monye addressed the situation in a statement, saying: "I have been fully engaged with my financial advisors who in turn have been liaising directly with HMRC on this matter on my behalf."
HMRC could not locate Ugo Monye's address
PA
He added: "I am hopeful that the matter will be fully concluded imminently."
The former rugby star becomes the latest high-profile player to face financial difficulties.
World Cup winners Lawrence Dallaglio and Phil Vickery have both endured similar situations in recent years.
Vickery was made bankrupt in February last year after reportedly accumulating six-figure debts.
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Ugo Monye made 241 appearances for Harlequins
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Monye retired from playing in 2015 after spending his entire 13-year career with Harlequins.
During his time there, he helped the club win their first Premiership title in 2012.
He won 14 caps for England and two for the British and Irish Lions, finishing as top try-scorer on the Lions' 2009 tour to South Africa.
Since retirement, he has worked as a rugby analyst for TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport).
In 2021, he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and became a team captain on BBC's A Question of Sport.
