Darragh MacAnthony Ex-MRI Boss?
Darragh MacAnthony
Followers of Darragh MacAnthony’s rise to fortune from Time-share Salesman at Club la Costa and Ocean Estates to the owner of the self proclaimed, largest Real Estate Agency in the world, and owner of Peterborough Football Club, will have read of Darragh’s more recent trials and tribulations, protestations of innocence, accusations and outbursts but much of this unfortunate predicament, some MRISG members say, is all of his own making.
Rags to Riches to Prison…..?
Being the sole owner of your own companies has it’s benefits but becomes a problem when you want to bail out of it all and distance yourself from those very companies activities, history and adverse comment and publicity. Then feeding your ego and activley seeking publicity and self promotion can then backfire. You can attempt re-write history on your blog, football club website, Wikipedia, release as many press releases as you like and appear on Radio Talk Shows, but your main problem is that when you self promote your venture as the head and use the media then later try to deny association there is a real danger that evidence will appear to re-associate you and incriminate you with that toxic brand time and time again. The very source of that information could be very embarrassing too because you may have crushed many toes on your way there and back again. The question people will all ask is ‘Why are you so keen to distance yourself?’ The conclusions are probably very clear to MRISG members but the wider public may be perplexed by the media acrobatics and storm of obscure references on YouTube referencing to Darragh MacAnthony & Co. You can see a few more examples HERE.
This is the dilemma Darragh MacAnthony has had to wrestle with in the press and media since 2008, especially as the companies obviously all carry his own name. All except, that is, Captial Financial Partners Worldwide now run by his brother-in-law.
Many have a very positive view of this self proclaimed ‘astute investor, entrepreneur, business magnate and philanthropist‘, hero of Peterborugh Football Club. Some have as much to lose as MacAnthony should the complex web of international companies be finally unwound, properly investigated and laid bare for what they were really doing. And like the MRISG are those who have done their homework, collated information and now know a lot more about this web of companies than MacAnthony would like them to know. Those victims of the MacAnthony web of companies vow that they will not rest and pursue MacAnthony and his directors until they finally see justice for the hundreds and even thousands he and his companies touched.
The setting up a complex web of companies all over Europe and USA to further your business empire was no doubt for pure taxation purposes but appears to have served another more sinister purpose when that web of companies were found to be less than they claimed and even the mildest investigation could reveal doubts: Failure to submit accounts to the pertinent company registration authorities, the lack of transparency in all financial accounts, many web sites registered behind anonymous proxy providers and companies set up but liquidated with claims they never traided. This conduct is bread and butter to Tax and law enforcement authorities no matter where you hide your companies. Sadly someone somewhere always wants tax paid, even in tax havens and these are the people who may pursue you the hardest. There are also those who loose money to you who will not let it go.
Close strutiny of what accounts and company registration details are available reveals compelling evidence that the web of companies all filtered back through to a sole share holding company set up in Luxembourg, MRI Overseas Property Group SA, Société Anonyme which in turn controls all the other companies. Now who do you think the Administrator was? Could it be the one and only…. Darragh MacAnthony an Irish Swiss Citizen and owner of Peterborough Football Club?
MRI Overseas Property Group SA, Société Anonyme has no website and is housed in a nondescript office in Luxenbourg, apparently, attracting no interest or scrutiny from anyone except the MRISG and Spanish Lawyers. MRI Overseas Property Group SA publish no accounts that can be easily found and it does not trade but appears to be a simple an umbrella ‘Society Autonomous’ to receive all the assets and share profits filtered from all the other MacAnthony Realty companies, which have now all but disappeared.
The very investors who made the MacAnthony companies so successful before 2008, allowing them to rise to prominence is the World of Real Estate Businesses then come under fire from MaCAnthony and his Directors. They even try to use the infamous Carter-Ruck to shut their ‘whining noises‘. These victims are rightly affronted because they were persuaded to hand over their money, believed to be in excess of €100 million, of their hard earned cash to one or several of the MRI companies or subsidiaries in the honest belief they were making rock solid investments in bricks and mortar. Later those investors find that most of those MacAnthony companies have been either quietly liquidated or hung to wither on the vine in an appartment in Madrid while properties never materialised, furniture vanished, after sales non existent, mortgages never produced and rental income missing. We all know the global melt down has caused many problems but to fail to deliver even overpriced furniture it is no excuse.
The latest MacAnthony company to be put up for liquidation is MacAnthony Realty International Ireland Limited. Many investors will be lobbying the authorities in Ireland, Spain and the UK to investigate because their monies were paid to this or other MRI company where it should have been used to provide the properties or services bought yet have received nothing but abuse from staff and Directors and threatening letters from Carter-Ruck Solicitors for having the audacity for speaking the truth. The big question the liquidators in Ireland should be asking the directors and former directors is where is all the clients’ money safely banked for those investors? We can only guess that the monies have been filtered out in Direcotr’s wages or claimed profits to MRI Overseas Property Group SA, Société Anonyme because no accounts are submitted for public inspection and only speculation can be made. If this is the case and MRI Overseas Property Group SA, Société Anonyme is simply holding the funds in trust then all the receivers need to do is ask for that money to be transferred back to pay off the debtors left by the whole MacAnthony web of companies.
Further looks at MRI Overseas Property Group SA, Société Anonyme reveals that the directors of this Luxemburg company were , until December 2010 none other than:-
- Darragh MacAnthony, Administrator, Am Durrbach, Haus Nr 235 2, 6390 Engelberg, Switzerland
- Michael John Liggan, Director, Club Financiero, Jacinto Benavente / n, 29600 Marbella, Spain
- Dominic Pickering, Director, Club Financiero, Jacinto Benavente / n, 29600 Marbella, Spain
- Sarah O’Callaghan, Director, Club Financiero, Jacinto Benavente / n, 29600 Marbella, Spain
- Nicola Shaw, Director, Club Financiero, Jacinto Benavente / n, 29600 Marbella, Spain
- SOLERO SA, Administrator, 82, route d’Arlon, L-1150 Luxembourg, RCS B 90,842.
Do you own investigations and see what you think has been going on….. The MRISG have and are convinced that the monies he has ‘Loaned’ to Pererborough Football club is just part of the money stolen from them.Very significant is Mr MacAnthony is the Administrator of this company being appointed in November 2007 for a period of 6 years and the sole shareholder? Yet he publicly denies he has anything to do with MRI Companies any more and resigned as chairman… despite demanding, as recently as July 2011, that the former CEO Dominic Pickering, who was no longer a director at the time to liquidate the Spanish companies immediately. Possibly not a lie that he was the Chairman but only part of the truth when you realise he, as Administrator, controlled the holding company which controlled all the other companies directly.
MacAnthony Realty International Ireland Limited
Insolvency proceedings begun:- www.insolvencyjournal.ie/
MacAnthony Realty International Ireland Limited
26 September 2011
Meeting details: 2nd Floor, Kandoy House, 2 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3 on 7th October 2011 at 11am
Registered address: 28 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3
Last accounts filed: 31/12/2008
CRO number: 386664
It may be Dominic Pickering can answer the questions but doubt this spineless bully will now the truth is all coming out.
I wonder if Peterborough United Football Club have anything to add? I doubt it as they still believe MacAnthony to be a saint.
Read a little more about this company and ask your own questions? Here
This issue is being discussed on ThePropertyPin
Members of the MRISG Forum are now demanding to know why UK and European Authorities allowed the scale of the MacAnthony Scams to go unchecked.
Spanish Class Legal Action FAQs
MRISG
As a member of the MRISG Members Only Forum you will be well aware the MRISG are organising a collective legal action against Darragh MacAnthony. The first action is already lodged with the courts in Spain and was discussed recently on this blog. These FAQs are to inform individuals of the opportunities and will answer some common questions to our lawyers about this next action.
Note for Darragh MacAnthony, former Directors of MacAnthony’s Companies and associated companies. It is only a matter of time now and is no longer if but when.
If you are an ex-director and wish to join forces as a prosecution witness as opposed to a defendant please contact MRISG. The same goes for any ex-employee who feels that they can contribute to the legal action your evidence may be invaluable and you will not be alone.
1. What case do I have?
In principle, everyone would have a civil against Martinez Echeverria Legal Independence (ME/LI) given that the conflict of interest would have rendered the legal representation service as “fake”. This would entitle anyone who bought through ME/LI from Macanthony (MRI) to bring an action, as they would be in this situation, for a refund of the legal fees paid towards the representation.
2. How about a civil case against MRI?
This would most certainly be a waste of time and money as these companies have been wound up and all but disappeared. However, it is clear that Macanthony ran his companies as a tool to be able to protect him from creditors, all the while flouting all regulations pertaining to fair trading, bookkeeping, accounting and not the least important, business ethics and morals. There is post about this legal angle at www.belegal.com, and it would entail bringing an action directly against Darragh Macanthony personally which, if successful, could see the winning party seizing his assets, including his football club.
Martinez-Enchevarria Logo
3. How do the civil differentiate from the criminal?
The criminal requires intent to defraud and monetary loss, by concocting a preconceived plan to persuade people to part with monies AND such people sustaining losses. The civil case requires contractual default either by not performing the obligation in the legal representation contract or, where the contract would have been null and void “ab initio”, that is, from its inception, due to the impossibility to provide legal representation service, as is the case, quite simply because ME/LI were already working for the other party.
Capital Financial Partners
4. Who are the alleged defrauders?
In principle, MRI, Capital Partners and ME/LI, and the individual who caused financial harm either directly, as a principal, or as an accessory (accomplices, co-operators).
5. Would I qualify for criminal case?
If you bought a property that was never built, or you bought a property because you were told that you could get a mortgage, or on the basis of a “guaranteed rental”, or once the property was known to not be built you were charged money to move to a further one (“bait and switch”) or, if you chose not to change developments you were charged to get your deposit acknowledged, and charged for it (“credit note”), then there are strong grounds to believe that fraud intervened (fraud understood as theft by swindle and misappropriation). We will however advise on whether you qualify for one action or another on the basis of the paperwork you have given us and what you can provide us.
6. Who can determine in which position am I in?
A lawyer with knowledge of the modus operandi of the triad (MRI, CFP and ME/LI) would be able to tell you where you stand, legally. Currently, no more than a few lawyers have acquainted themselves with this case.
7. What is required to know where I am?
We will need a short description of your position, stating namely whether your property was built, and if it was built, if you were given a mortgage approval in principle by CFP that convinced you that you qualified to get a loan and therefore a property, if you were offered a rental package, if you were subjected to the bait & switch session and ended up paying for this bogus service, if you were given a “credit note” signed by Macanthony or any of his acolytes and ended up paying for this bogus service, and a number of other deceits that had, as a result, the loss (will attach a form for this).
8. Can I run both actions at the same time?
No, the criminal action takes precedence over the civil one and in fact, it already includes the civil one as part of the compensations requested. If you start a civil case and then file a criminal one, the civil case will be “stayed”, or interrupted, until the criminal one is finalized.
9. Can I just join a civil case and forget about the criminal one?
Certainly, not a problem.
10. If other claimants are pursuing via the criminal claim, will my civil claim be “stayed”, that is, stopped?
Each claimant sues individually and not as part of class action, which in Spain is reserved only to Consumer Protection Associations. Therefore, the answer is no, you can sue via the civil courts to obtain redress on your particular case.
11. Can we all join under one case?
Certainly, collective or joint actions are groups of claimants that sue together, within one claim that encompasses all other smaller ones. But in reality, there are as many claims as people claiming although they case is progressed as one unit.
12. What is required to file the suit?
a. Signed letter of engagement (to be advised on).
b. Power of attorney (to be advised on).
c. Supporting documentation proving your investment, with particular reference being made to: contracts signed with the developer or Macanthony, proof of payment of deposit, “bait and switch” documents, “credit note” documents, rental guarantees and mortgage approvals in principle.
d. Any correspondence you may have had with Macanthony employees.
13. What if I have already sent the paperwork and letter of engagement to another member of the claimants’ legal team?
There is absolutely no problem as all claimants will be joined under one action and the objectives and aims pursued are the same.
14. Where will it be filed?
Jurisdiction is still not determined but in principle, the main center of the activities carried out by Macanthony was Spain, in particular Marbella,
15. How long will the Court case take?
It is difficult to tell given the variety of results when this question is made. We have been involved in a Court case that has just settled, prior to hearing, after 10 years, in relation to timeshare resale scam (details can be found at www.lawbird.com). This is, however, an abnormal and exceptionally lengthy case that has slept in Court for years and therefore, it is not to be used as an example. Statistically, a Court of First Instance case in Spain takes up to 6.9 months, and a Criminal case 8.9 months. This is perhaps also optimistic as most case would be filed by one single claimant against one single defendant, as is not our case, and so I would therefore be more comfortable with increasing this forecast by twice as much, at least.
16. Do I need to come to Spain to sue?
No, it can be done with powers of attorney although there is a possibility, not insignificant, that the defendants decide to call the claimants/plaintiffs to give a statement and that therefore, they have to attend personally. This, although unlikely, is possible.
17. How much are the fees?
After some discussion, it has been proposed that a fee of 7% of the sums claimed, plus VAT (18%), would be appropriate, 50% of which would be payable in advance and the balance on successful recovery of the sums and provided the sum obtained covers the balance of the pending legal fee. With a view to facilitate the payment of the initial 50% of the legal fee for the action, the initial payment can be split as follows: –
On signing the letter of engagement: €500 –
Payment of balance staggered: 6 equal monthly payments.
18. What about translation costs?
We do not have an issue with English documentation as the lawyers are able to do the translation in-house, and therefore, no further fees are required. If the documentation is in any other language different from English, Spanish or French, they would need to have the documents translated. In principle, translations need not be official provided the other party does not challenge the validity of these, which may occur only of the quality of the translation is poor, inexact or, alternatively, they wish to introduce the challenge as a spurious delaying tactic (a move that may, ultimately, backfire on the defendants).
19. What is latest about the MRI and Martínez-Echeverría Association?
The Association has now been duly incorporated. This organization is a non-profit making entity that will have, among its aims, to assist and endorse the legal case to be filed with the Courts, exposing the wrongdoings committed by the above companies and individuals at different levels, inclusive of media, Government and judiciary. Any person can join the association and in due course, members will be advised on the sum of a small contribution to cover maintenance costs that will allow the association to carry out the actions required to attain its objectives.
20. What do I need to get started?
In principle, indicating your willingness to join an action against will suffice, by emailing the address contact@mri-sg.org, indicating your contact details. Upon receipt of it, we will forward you a short request for information that we will use to advise on the likelihood of joining one action of another. The documentation we will require is listed on point 12.c. We undertake to provide you with an answer within 10 working days in respect of the action you are most likely to pursue.
Please read these questions carefully – if you need to speak to someone personally send your contact details to contact@mri-sg.org and your details will be passed to a member of the forum who will call you personally to discuss.
If you want to be part of this legal action for justice – Now is the time to come forward!
Rest assured you need not fear any further threats from any member of the MRI group, their lawyers or directly from Darragh MacAnthony.
We also know they read this blog and strongly suspect they also read the members only forum illegally and/or pay others to supply information illegally. So they will be very aware they could be breaching UK and Spanish Law by trying to Harass, Intimidate or Bully you any more and they could be subjected to criminal proceedings relating to any such actions. They will also be aware they are in breach of copyright and federal hacking legislation if caught hacking the forum too.
Also be aware some of our members have had offers to settle their disputes or provide the service paid for and promised but the promises have proved to be just that and are not fulfilled or not what they thought was agreed. So please be aware of the MacAnthony methods and speak to the the lawyers before agreeing to anything.
