Think, in all probability , they were attempting to do just what the grubby little directors probably expected of them, the directors knowledge/ interest level ? probably something along the lines of "just trouser the money".
I said it way way back on this thread, and it still holds true.
Look after, in order of priority
1 - your life
2- your licence
3 - your job
These guys paid too much attention to #3 and completely ignored 1 & 2. End of