Attention British Property Victims – Harlequin Class Action
Unite and Fight Plea
Lawyers in the United Kingdom representing victims of Harlequin – a company which has been building, or rather barely building properties around the world – are preparing a class action against the company.
David Ames (left)
While most of the victims are in Britain, many are also in Thailand and bought properties from Harlequin which were then turned over to TPME Co. Ltd., then run by Richard Haughton, former President of the Pattaya-Jomtien Rotary Club.
So far the British media has not touched this story. Harlequin appear to have amassed over £200 million (and they take their profit out of the first payments which are made).
Scores of victims have attempted to tell their story on the internet but almost all have been warned off by the libel law firm of Carter Ruck (known to the magazine ‘Private Eye’of course as ‘Çarter F*ck’.
It would appear that Harlequin do not want complainants getting together, hence the use of divide and rule tactics. But if you have lucked out in any of those projects down in Pattaya, such as Emerald Palace, which was Haughton’s final project, but started as Harlequin, you should contact here below:
Email info@tslconsultancy.com, or call 0844 504 9793 (if you are calling from within the UK).
This message is for people who invested in properties in the Caribbean, Dominican Republic and of course Thailand
Richard Haughton meanwhile remains at Lake Villas in Pattaya and is still desperately trying to get residents to pay maintenance fees etc to him.
Harlequin boss David Ames whose projects were promoted in Pattaya by the Pattaya People Media Group has now taken citizenship of St. Vincent in the Grenadines.
Haughton
Hundreds of people were persuaded to invest in Harlequin projects which were even promoted as a place to put pensions. The potential fallout is quite tremendous.
Glossy brochures were widely distributed in an aggressive sales plan but for several of the projects planning permission had not been obtained. Several projects in Thailand were also not built and will not be.
In Thailand investors were moved from one project to another and Haughton, formerly boss of Harlequin (Thailand) finally put everything into the Emerald Palace condo in Pattaya and hawked the deeds to the Kasikorn Bank.
Thai victims appear to be stuck in a quagmire of inaction, legal wheeler dealing, and apathy. The Pattaya Consumer Affairs Department, which promised buyers would get their homes or their money, has, not entirely unexpectedly, enabled them to get their homes or their money.
Thailand’s housing market for foreigners is thus being treated with increasing cynicism – not least because even the honest developers have no interest in policing those who are pulling the market down.
Story in the Basildon Echo, Essex. Will be an interesting case if they fight it. But these law suits are designed to shut people up while they bleed money trying to defend themselves.
The Harlecon.com website, being sued here, was an excellent source of documents, and emails on the activities of David Ames and Harlequin. However they made the mistake perhaps of making themselves vulnerable by allowing personal attacks on Ames himself. This will all come unstuck one day. The question is whether Ames will get away with it. He is after all a citizen of St. Vincent and apparently a close mate of the Prime Minister. There are certainly enough people in Thailand who have been swindled after buying through Harlequin to knock a big whole in Ames ‘claim of integrity.
Not the heading ‘We’ll finish resort’ – That’s about the Merrick’s Resort in Barbados due to be completed four years ago – and they have not yet finalised planning permissions! And by the way of course where is the money coming from for all these legal actions…. from investors!