A BUSINESS co-owned by the winner of BBC’s The Apprentice has been fined after failings were exposed by The Jattvibe on Jattvibeday.
Dean Franklin was crowned champion in last year’s series by Lord Alan Sugar, who invested £250k in his firm ADL Air Conditioning.
A business co-owned by The Apprentice winner Dean Franklin has been fined after failings were exposed by The Jattvibe on Jattvibeday. Credit: PA
ADL Air Conditioning got a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar following his victory Credit: BBC Press Handout
But the Essex-based company has now been fined £1,230 for carrying out work without the required F-gas certificate.
ADL featured on a list of civil penalties brought for breaking the rules which was published this week by the Environment Agency.
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It was accused of breaching regulation 31A of government legislation the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2015.
The Environment Agency can impose fines of up to £200,000 per breach and ADL has a year to appeal.
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The fine was amounted due to the type of breach, the company’s size and level of culpability.
It relates to the firm not having an F-gas certificate while carrying out work in 2021.
We revealed Dean, 36, was at the centre of a rogue trader probe just days after he won the reality TV show in April 2025.
ADL was accused of not obtaining the right certificate, which ensures man made F-gases are handled properly, over a 17-month period.
Refcom and the F-Gas Register, which issue certificates on behalf of the Environment Agency, said ADL did not have one from forming in May 2020, until October 2021.
Over that period, Dean posted pictures of himself proudly delivering units to famous clients like ex-Spurs footballer Lucas Moura.
Sources claimed Dean was not made a director of ADL until April 2021. But he became a 50 per cent shareholder in May 2020.
Dean, from Hornchurch, Essex, told us at the time: “I’m not aware of any review or investigation.
“I’ve been F-Gas certified since 2014 and have the necessary qualifications for my work.”
Our story came days after Lord Sugar picked him as the boardroom’s winner and took a 50 per cent share from Dean’s wife and his business partner’s wife.
The Apprentice mogul continues to back the firm and encouraged heatwave sufferers to buy air con units through his “partners” at ADL in May.
Lord Sugar claimed “Deano, he’ll sort you out,” adding in a TikTok video: “I’ve got one at my house and he’s put one in at my son’s house and it’s very, very good.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We are clear that it is against the law to work with F-gas without the correct qualifications and certification.”
