DISHONEST" HOLIDAY CLUB COMPANIES WOUND UP

13 Feb 2003 04:45 PM

Hundreds of holidaymakers were misled into paying thousands of pounds for huge holiday savings that failed to materialise by thirteen companies which have been wound up by the High Court following an investigation by the DTI.

The companies, which were connected with an internet-based holiday club 'The Travel Association', invited hundreds of couples to pay up to £3,850 to join a scheme which promised holidays and flights at greatly reduced prices. But the savings were either insignificant or non-existent.

The businesses, trading as "Holiday Direct" and more recently "Vacations Direct" operated from Ellesmere Port, Cambridge, Bury and Cork.

Member's credit card payments were processed by one of the liquidated companies, CIB Corporation Limited and by other organisations. Over £1 million collected from members was then passed to FGS Flume Limited in Jersey.

Ms Anna Markham, Counsel for the Secretary of State, informed the Court that inadequate accounting records were maintained, high-pressure selling techniques were used and that the identity of the company with which members contracted was deliberately obscured so that aggrieved members encountered difficulties in seeking redress for their complaints. There was also an unwillingness to co-operate with the enquiry.

In ordering the companies into liquidation in the public interest Mr Registrar James stated that "members of the public had been misled by dishonest representations and substantial monies had been whisked away to foreign climes" and that "the conduit through which a lot of the money passed" was CIB Corporation Limited

The winding up petitions of the thirteen companies were unopposed. The petition against a fourteenth company, Nefertiti Estates Limited, was adjourned to enable the company to present evidence opposing the petition.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. Holiday Direct (UK) Limited (trading as "Holiday Direct") was incorporated in England and Wales on 29 August 2000. Its registered office and former trading address is 92 Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 8DE. It has no current recorded officers, the former sole director Mr Roger Malcolm Peters and the former secretary Ms Norma Doris Bichard (who both live in Sark) having both resigned on 22 January 2001. The company was controlled by Mr Kevin John Flood (also known as Mr Karim Abdullah, Mr Kevin Smith and Mr Nigel Morton) by virtue of powers of attorney granted to him on 29 August 2000. Mr Flood was present throughout the Court hearing.

2. Holiday Direct (Int) Limited (formerly Firesafe Services Limited) was incorporated in England and Wales on 8 August 1996. Its registered office is c/o Bridgestones, 125-127 Union Street, Oldham, Lancashire, OL1 1TE. The directors of the company are Mr Richard John Fox and Mr David John Williams who is also the secretary of the company. On 14 February 2002 the company was placed into creditors voluntary liquidation and Mr Robert Cooksey of Messrs Bridgestones was appointed liquidator. Prior to the voluntary liquidation the company's registered office was an accommodation address at 175 Piccadilly, London, W1U 9DB. It formerly traded from Mutley House, Bredbury Business Park, Bredbury Parkway, Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 2SN.

3. Club Direct (Int) Limited (trading as "Club Direct" and "The Travel Association") was incorporated in England and Wales on 23 July 2001. Its registered office and trading address is 1 The Arcade, Regent Street, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 8DX, premises partly occupied under a licence granted by Nefertiti Holdings Limited. The sole director of the company is Mr Karim Mohamed Abdullah. The secretary of the company is Mr Peter Anthony Daulton.

4. Club Direct Travel Limited was incorporated in England and Wales on 24 September 2001. Its registered office and trading address is 1 The Arcade, Regent Street, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 8DX, premises partly occupied under a licence also granted by Nefertiti Holdings Limited. The sole director of the company is Mr Karim Mohamed Abdullah. The secretary of the company is Mr Peter Anthony Daulton.

5. Direct Asset Holdings Limited was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on 4 July 2001 under registration number 452473. Its registered office is 3rd Floor, The Geneve Place, Waterfront Drive, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Details of its officers are unknown. The company's UK Development manager is Mr John Goldsworth and its UK representative until April 2002 was Mr Harvey Beeley. The company formerly carried on business from Mutley House, Bredbury Business Estate, Bredbury Parkway, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 2SN.

6. Vacations Direct UK Limited was incorporated in England and Wales on 3 April 2002. Its registered office and former trading address is Mutley House, Bredbury Business Park, Bredbury Parkway, Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 2SN. The sole director of the company is Nefertiti Holdings Limited. The secretary of the company is Mr Peter Anthony Daulton.

7. Vacations Direct Limited was incorporated in the Republic of Ireland on 26 April 2001 under registration number 342292. Its registered office and proposed trading address is 11 Anglesea Street, Dublin, 2. It operates from 6 Sullivan's Quay, Cork, Republic of Ireland. The directors of the company are Mr Peter Anthony Daulton and Mr John Patrick O'Dea. Mr John Duggan is the secretary of the company.

Vacations Direct Limited has no connection with a company incorporated in England of the same name (company number 03566409) whose registered office is Bank House, 8 High Street, Prestbury, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3AS.

8. Manor Farm Promotions Limited was incorporated in England and Wales on 19 July 2002. Its registered office and trading address is Unit 5, Grange Park, Broadway, Cambridge, CB3 7TA. The sole director of the company is Mrs Lesley Kemp. The secretary of the company is Mr Allan Kemp.

9. CIB Corporation Limited (formerly The Company Incorporation Bureau Limited) was incorporated in England and Wales on 30 March 1995. Its registered office and former trading address is Enterprise House, 82 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff, CF4 3LX. Its Accounts Office is 7 Minerva Road, Park Royal, London, NW10. The directors of the company are Mr Peter John Watling, Mr Leigh James Woolford and Mr Philip Hugh Williams who is also the secretary of the company.

10. British Holiday Investments Limited is a company which appears to have been incorporated In Belize. The last known address for the company is 60 Market Square, PO Box 364, Belize City, Belize, Central America. Details of its officers are unknown. It was the sole director throughout of BHI Direct Limited trading as "Holiday Direct" which formerly operated from 92 Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 8DE and from Unit 3B Glan Aber Trading Estate, Vale Road, Rhyl, North Wales, LL18 2PL. BHI Direct Limited was ordered into compulsory liquidation on 21 February 2001.

11. FGS Flume Limited is a company registered in the British Virgin Islands under registration number 383906. Its registered office is PO Box 146, Trident Chambers, Wickams Cay, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Details of its officers are unknown. The company formerly operated a recruitment agency called "FGS Recruitment", a business which had earlier been carried on by Status Recruitment Limited trading as "Status Recruitment". On 31 August 2001 Status Recruitment Limited was placed into creditors' voluntary liquidation and Mr Robert Cooksey of Messrs Bridgestones in Oldham was appointed liquidator.

12. FGS Flume (UK) Limited (formerly FGS Flume Limited) was incorporated in England and Wales on 3 October 2001. Its registered office is 175 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9TB. The directors of the company are Mr Lawrence Peter Dell and Mr Colin Michael Fox who is also the secretary of the company. The company formerly traded from Wellington House, High Street, Newmarket, CB8 83X where, until recently, it operated the foregoing recruitment business known as "FGS Recruitment" in succession to its BVI registered namesake.

13. Nefertiti Holdings Limited is a company which appears to have been incorporated in St Kitts and Nevis. The last known address for the company is Spencer Lawrence House, Prospect Estate, St Johns Parish Nevis, West Indies.

14. Nefertiti Estates Limited was incorporated in England and Wales on 23 July 2001. Its registered office and trading address is 1 The Arcade, Regent Street, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 8DX. The sole director of the company is Mr Karim Mohamed Abdullah. The secretary of the company is Mr Michael Graham Taylor.

15. The petitions were presented under Section 124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on grounds of public interest. When the public is at risk, the Secretary of State may ask the Court to stop a company trading at once by appointing a provisional liquidator and winding it up. This is the quickest action the Department can take. The Court demands detailed and substantial evidence for this very serious step.

16. The petitions were presented following investigations carried out by the Department's Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) under section 447 of the Companies Act 1985 which enables investigators to require a company to produce its records. If it is in the public interest the Secretary of State may use the information obtained to petition the Court to wind up a company or to disqualify the company directors.

17. On the application of the Secretary of State the Court appointed the Official Receiver as provisional liquidator of all of the companies with the exception of Holiday Direct (Int) Limited on 18 December 2002 to protect and preserve the assets and financial records of the companies until the hearing of the winding up petitions. On the Secretary of State's application, and with the voluntary liquidator's consent, the Official Receiver was appointed provisional liquidator of Holiday Direct (Int) Limited on 23 January 2003.

18. As a consequence of the winding up orders made on 12 October 2003 the Official Receiver is now liquidator of the various companies (apart from Nefertiti Estates Limited) and is responsible for investigating the circumstances of the companies' failure and the conduct of the directors in relation to the companies' affairs. He remains provisional liquidator of Nefertiti Estates Limited pending the hearing of the adjourned petition.

19. A petition to wind up a further related company, GB Research Limited, is due to be heard on 26 March 2003.

20. The holiday business operated by these companies has no connection with the "free" holiday business formerly carried on by Incentive Marketing Limited and Holidays Direct Travel Limited that both traded as "Holidays Direct" and were ordered into liquidation in the public interest on 24 October 2001 (P/2001/477).

21. All public enquiries concerning these companies companies should be made to:

THE OFFICIAL RECEIVER
Public Interest Unit
21 Bloomsbury Street
London WC1B 3SS
Tel No: 020 7637 1110

Further information on company investigations is available from http://www.dti.gov.uk/cld/comp inv.htm

Public Enquiries: 020-7215 5000
Textphone (for people with hearing impairments): 020-7215 6740 http://www.dti.gov.uk

Department of Trade and Industry 1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET