Farepak customers have been fighting to win compensation

More than 150,000 customers lost an average of �400 each when the company went into administration in October.

Stewart Hosie MP, the SNP's Treasury spokesman has written to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

He asked him to consider launching a criminal investigation after the Swindon-based firm collapsed.

I hope that the DTI will pursue a criminal investigation Stewart Hosie MP, SNP's Treasury spokesman

Mr Hosie said: "Press reports would indicate that large sums of savers money were salted away to Farepak's parent company EHR and that Farepak continued to request and receive money until very shortly before it folded.

"Section 214(b) of the Insolvency Act allows a director to be held personally liable for company debts if 'at some time before the commencement of the winding up of the company, that the person (a director) knew or ought to have concluded that there was no reasonable prospect that the company would avoid going into insolvent liquidation'.

"Given the warnings over Farepak going back many months it is inconceivable that the directors would not have known insolvency was a very real possibility.