Hunt’s older brother Stephen, 55, was also partners with Wright Snr in the 1990s at a Romford car dealership, although there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.
Hunt, 52 — who claims to be a legitimate businessman —sued the Sunday Times for libel over an article it published about him in 2010. But the case was thrown out and the Court ruled that Hunt was the head of a criminal network involved in “fraud, money-laundering and extreme violence”.
The Sun reports that businessman Wright Senior has been friends with David Hunt for 25 years although there is no suggestion that he knew about Hunt’s criminal network before the libel case last year.
However Wright Senior denies Hunt, 52, has been involved in any wrongdoing, explaining:
“I have known Stephen Hunt for 30 years and David Hunt for 25 years.
“I probably speak to Stephen once or twice a month on the phone as friends would do.
“Yes, we had a car business together in the 1990s. We had a decent car firm.”
“He was an associate of mine all those years ago.
“He’s a businessman, but a very reserved man, laid-back.
“David has never been spoken to by the police or convicted of any offence and there is no evidence of any criminal activity.
“He’s never done a custodial sentence.
“There is no evidence against these people.”
He went on: “A High Court judge mentioned them but there still isn’t evidence because he’s not been convicted of anything.”
Meanwhile 27-year-old Mark Wright has spent the last few days in Dubai with fiancé and Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan.