Guardian Investigation Links UK Company to Disputed Anjouan Gambling Licences

A British company linked to London’s Sorsky family has come under scrutiny over services connected to Anjouan gambling licences, following a Guardian investigation published on October 19.

The newspaper reported that Anjouan Corporate Services (ACS) offered assistance obtaining licences for approximately $25,000. It identified ACS Global Custodian as the British company behind the website.

Comoros authorities dispute the legitimacy of the licensing operation and have sought assistance from the British government. Harold Sorsky, responding to the newspaper, denied that ACS Global Custodian sells or issues gambling licences under its current ownership. 

Dispute Over Licensing Authority

According to the investigation, the Anjouan Offshore Financial Authority presents itself as a regulator and directs gambling applicants to submit applications through ACS.

The Comoros government does not recognise the claimed authority, the newspaper reported. Officials said British citizens had been identified in connection with the operation and that domestic judicial action was being prepared.

The dispute sits within a wider disagreement over offshore licensing in the island nation. A central bank warning published on the Comoros finance ministry’s website names the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority and Anjouan Corporate Services among entities it describes as fictitious bodies claiming to authorise banking and financial institutions.

That warning concerns financial services licensing. It states that authorising banks and financial institutions operating in Comoros is the central bank’s exclusive responsibility. 

Company Cash Balance Rises

The Guardian reported that ACS Global Custodian’s bank balance increased during 2025 from approximately $17,300 to $811,000, coinciding with growing operator interest in Anjouan licences.

Those figures describe cash held by the company. They do not establish its gambling-related revenue, profit or the source of the increase.

Companies House records show that ACS Global Custodian filed accounts for the year ending October 31, 2025, in August 2026. A subsequent filing notified the register that Elliot Richard Sorsky had become a person with significant control in August 2026. 

The newspaper linked ACS to the Sorsky family through corporate records and its investigation of the business.

ACS Denies Current Gambling Licence Role

Harold Sorsky told the newspaper that ACS Global Custodian had not sold, issued or otherwise provided gambling licences since the current owners took over in 2023.

He said references to assistance with gambling applications were outdated and that the function had been delegated to another specialist provider. His response disputes the investigation’s account of ACS’s current involvement. 

The ACS website currently promotes brokerage, cryptocurrency, insurance and finance licensing services, alongside company formation. Those services are presented as assistance with obtaining Anjouan authorisations. 

According to the investigation, Comoros authorities are pursuing international cooperation while preparing action locally. The reported request for British assistance does not establish that UK authorities have opened an investigation.