- edit

- edit: speculating

^^I am always suspicious of someone who claims they will be able to get you a refund.

Just exactly where will this refund come from? Will the lawyer be able to wave some magic wand and create money from thin air. UKCIG have gone because there is no money left in the bank account. NIL, NADA, ZILCH, NOTHING!

Neither me nor any lawyer i have met in dubai ever claimed to be able get a refund. Lets not sit and worry about whats possible and whats not possible. Frankly speaking, we have 2 options to chose from, 1st is we carry on with our lives and forget we ever invested that money in to the project, 2nd is we hire lawyers who will make ukcig suffer and pay for fooling all of us, and will make their lives so miserable that we will not let them live in peace. Choice is all yours. I will be in dubai by october and your all welcome to join me, will be posting more updates soon.

19/September/2011

Marina Star

http://i52.tinypic.com/33bo404.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/2hqxr39.jpg

- edit

I agree with joining together and bring them to Dubai court.
Please let me know when you decide to make a team of invester, I would be more than happy to join

Hello all,
I think UK Capital reads this forum and everything we post, so if we are going to put this lawsuit together, then we should communicate in private. Just go to the top of this page look at your name (right after welcome) and click on private message, then go down the column and find (send message) you can send up to five messages at a time to five different individuals separated by commas (,) . You can also make a list of people you communicate with, so you don't have to type their forum name every time you send them a message. The longer we wait the harder it will be to collect or take drastic legal action against these pirates. I'm wondering if UKCapital is in breach, as far as completion and handover of the project? Technically speaking, do they still have time before anyone can take legal action against them? Nonetheless we all know they will not make the deadline. Lets start organizing, these sort of things take a while to put together.

Anyone seen the below website?

http://ukcapitalinvestmentsfraud.com/

Lets just organize the class action lawsuit, is UKCapital in breach of contract? I believe Fearless initiated the investigation and gathered some valuable information. I think we should get the ball rolling. We should look into getting a reputable attorney who specializes in this sort of things. I'm in the US and pretty much limited to what I can do from here i.e appointing an attorney etc... I'm willing to travel if the majority of us are willing to meet up and discuss business.

Problem is though that UKCIG don't just read posts. They are masters of deception. Some UKCIG employees and spies are also members of this forum, so how would you know whether anyone you are sending a PM to, are not actually UKCIG representatives?

Anyone seen the below website?

http://ukcapitalinvestmentsfraud.com/

OMG!! Has Select Group changed their name to UKCIG? The title of "masters of deception" belongs only to Select.

Is this a joke?

I am one of the owners in marina star. I came across this today!!!

Plz plz go through, it's posted on 12 May 2011:

http://www.eca-p.com/marina-star/

The project is at halt, this website says otherwise......

They are writing BLUFFS .... That cranes just got installed, project progressing at amazing pace..... Where did the ADMIN come from, his grave.... It's been there for ages!!!

Guys, let's join forces and sue them ......:bash:

Strange all the newcomers all of a sudden.
Everybody wants to sue, but you can only do it as individuals, not as a group.
Hm hm.

^^ :cripes:

I suppose there is something of a moral dilemma here. Do you join forces, share information even in 'private' with people who were previously conning you?

Most people who read (and post) on this forum are disgruntled investors, some are disgruntled ex-employees of UKCIG, some maybe the few remaining current 'staff'.

Most of the above want justice from / for Chohan. However some of the ex-employee posters who were then eventually conned themselves by Chohan, were the very same people who were previously and knowingly conning the genuine investors.

hes right, you have to sue individually, many people have done so already , anyways if you guys want to talk about this type of stuff, dont go on a public forum and do it, or at the very least send a message to each other. Hello, you mentioned investors have sued individually, do you know anyone personally? I'd like to know what they've accomplished so far.. if you know of someone please let me know.
I much appreciate all your efforts.

Neither me nor any lawyer i have met in dubai ever claimed to be able get a refund. Lets not sit and worry about whats possible and whats not possible. Frankly speaking, we have 2 options to chose from, 1st is we carry on with our lives and forget we ever invested that money in to the project, 2nd is we hire lawyers who will make ukcig suffer and pay for fooling all of us, and will make their lives so miserable that we will not let them live in peace. Choice is all yours. I will be in dubai by october and your all welcome to join me, will be posting more updates soon.Please be more specific about the dates that you plan on going to dubai, I might be able to go as well.
Thanks.

- edit

I did some research and found a competent law firm who specializes in Real Estate cases such as ours. We could all get together and hire these people to try to revive our project or get compensated monetarily. If we all chip in, the cost would be minuscule per individual basis. Let me know what you all think. We can't just sit on the sidelines and do nothing.

- edit

^^I expect some of it might have been used to buy the plot, pay the design fees, pay for the shoring and de-watering, pay the foundation contractor and pay the main contractor for the basement structure works that are visible.

I do take your point however.

I agree 100% with doomsday, as i have mentioned earlier, i have all the required documents that can help us retrieve whatever we have invested in the project. Please contact me

I agree 100% with doomsday, as i have mentioned earlier, i have all the required documents that can help us retrieve whatever we have invested in the project. Please contact me Hello,
Lets try to put something together and go after these bastards. I'm in the States and would be willing to travel anytime deemed necessary. My email is doomsdayarmy@yahoo.com or you can just private message me from this forum. Everyone, please be aware I would not be responding to anyone (except Fearless for now) via my email, simply because, I don't know whom I'm communicating with. Please don't take this personal. I have not been here long enough, but I think we can trust Fearless as one of us and not one of the opposition trying to infiltrate.
Lets do this people.

^^ Who on earth are this recent 'double act' ('FearlessWarrior' and 'doomsdayarmy')??? Are they the same person? And why have they waited for years and years until now to start making seemily desperate posts??

Guys, here is a bit of a reminder not to call people names and not make claims if you can't point to a source. Thanks in advance.

Thanks, Jan, and as you are the big boss of SSC, I'll choose my words carefully… but this is not just internet forum slander or libel, I have enough reason to believe that at least one of the above mentioned 'characters' is a ukcig employee (past or present). So for any genuine investors out there, please tread carefully with these two.

Metloft you are absolutely right. We all know of course there are no such documents. The next thing will probably be that you have to buy the documents from Fearless Warrior!!

However nobody can get any money back and RERA is doing nothing.

To all doubters, Fearless and I are not the same person, this could be easily proven by showing up in Dubai. If anyone of you would like to see this in person, by all means, you are welcome. I do not know about any documents Fearless might have stumbled upon or gathered, but I'm certainly interested in seeing what they are and how this could help us go to the next step. Instead of sitting around and pointing fingers at each other, lets look for a way out of this mess.

This is frustrating to say the least, we need to join our forces and inflict the most damage possible on these crooks. Does anyone know according to contract, when UKC is in breach? I think if I'm not wrong it's the first quarter of 2012 ?? Would someone clarify. Fearless, is it possible for you to email/fax what you have gathered so far? If yes, I will post my fax.

I think I've mentioned this before, I have found an a competent attorney and will be pushing forward with litigation. I refuse to sit on the sidelines and watch these crooks get away with my money. I know some people think, that paying for an attorney is throwing good money after bad, but I'm willing to take that chance.
You all know how to get a hold of me via-email or just post your thoughts on this website. I check this site everyday. I urge you to think about joining me. I will provide you with the name of the law firm and post the costs involved. The rest is up to you.

I am interested in joining any law suit which is being made against UKCIG.

Please contact me on clairedavies_@hotmail.com for details

Thank you

I am interested in joining any law suit which is being made against UKCIG.

Please contact me on clairedavies_@hotmail.com for details

Thank you
Thank you Claire, I will be in touch.

Let me make myself clear guys, nobody is here to sell anything, all I want from you guys is to stand together so we can help each other, its totally upto u guys to do what you wanna do. I know i have invested money in the project & i dont need to prove anything to anybody. I totally agree with Pleth & metlofts123, there are a lot of ukcig employees monitoring this place & we need to be careful, as I have received a lot of messages from new users, plus i have no idea who is dooomsday, private message me if you guys need more info & please dont waste my time guys with silly questions or asking me what documents i have

Metlofts123 seems to have a lot of info about ukcig employees, past & present, thats probably cause he works for ukcig, i think he forgot the fact that we are suppose to discuss marina star here, not metlofts, right guys !!

Reverse psychology? Nice try Fearless. No one buys it. Seriously though, if you are the jilted ex-employee of Chohan, that most people here know you are, and if you want to now make amends for your previous dishonest behaviour, why waste time with Internet forums? Why not get yourself down to RERA HQ, and show them this evidence you have that you keep telling us about?

What are you on about, you live in a dream world mate, it obvious whos more jilted than any of us, well, lets just leave it to the people to think what they wanna think. You obviously have no clue on what RERA says about all this, RERA has nothing to do with this, they are only an authority which controls the real estate sector, thats all, they have no authority on your refund, its the dubai courts, atleast get your facts right

You obviously have no clue on what RERA says about all this

Clearly. But really hoping you will now decide to cut the BS (we all know who you are, btw, so pleeeeease spare us the 'charade', it's a waste of our and your time) and enlighten us as to what RERA's real take on UKCIG is? RERA tells us nothing other than 'go to the courts'. However, given your history, I suspect you know exactly what RERAs position is with regards to UKCIG? Please can you share that with us all?

You still awake, are you getting paid over time for this !! Well I hope its all worth it for you all, its about time you all paid back what you stole from all the investors

Appeared on page 28 and 29 of the printed edition of Thursdays The Mirror newspaper (UK):

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/11/-this-is-bally-chohan.html (http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/11/-this-is-bally-chohan.html)

What landbanking scam mastermind Bally Chohan did next

BY ANDREW PENMAN (http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/andrew-penman) ON NOVEMBER 16, 2011 11:00 PM IN INVESTMENTS (http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/finance/)

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/css/Metropolis-Lofts.jpg
This is Bally Chohan, the daddy of landbanking scammers.
Trading as UKLI or UK Land Investments, he took £69million from investors after selling plots of fields that apparently had "a very good chance" of getting permission for housing and so would shoot up in value.
But there was no hope of the greenfield sites getting planning permission and the illegal investment scheme was shut down.
Chohan, who operated from Mayfair, London, was banned from acting as a company director for four years, the High Court hearing that he told "outright lies" to investors.
That was in 2008 and now we've heard from more investors who have lost their life-savings to another Chohan scam.

As his scheme in Britain was collapsing, he set up in Dubai, promising to develop a project called Metropolis Lofts through UK Capital Investments Group or UKCIG.
Below is an artist's impression of what the development was supposed to look like, and below that is what the site actually looks like.
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/css/Metropolis-Lofts-future.jpg
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/css/Metropolis-Lofts-current.jpg
"Absolutely nothing has happened in terms of construction," said one victim, from Reading, Berks, who paid a £9,000 deposit on an off-plan studio flat in 2007 after being coldcalled by a now defunct firm called Dreamhome Worldwide.
"Shamelessly, they still demand more money even though no one is obliged to make payments unless the construction milestones are achieved."
An investor from Wolverhampton has lost £40,500 and said: "I was told the development would be built by May 2009, then May 2010."
He too dealt first with Dreamhomes Worldwide, then Berkeley Estates of Mayfair - another Chohan operation.
A couple from Kings Langley, Herts, was persuaded to invest after being assured that it was a joint venture with construction giant Balfour Beatty, "but this was simply made up by UKCIG".
'When we complain, they all either ignore us or lie. It is crippling us financially, we have paid 40% of the purchase price of £57,600.
"For the last four or five years UKCIG have sent us all many 'progress' reports which were mainly nonsense, congratulating themselves for all sorts of achievements. However I visited the site in August 2010, and saw the reality: they had a placed a portable fence around 3 sides of the plot, which probably took a few guys and a truck half a day to do. Nothing more.
"Since then, various other investors have also visited including a few in the last month or two. There has been no change."
He was also under the impression - understandably given its name - that UK Capital Investments Group was a UK company when in fact Chohan's British registered company of this name was dissolved in 2006.
Another spoke for many when he explained how he felt abandoned by everyone from the authorities in this country who say the problem is out of British jurisdiction, to the Real Estate Regulatory Agency in Dubai.
"Unless you know very influential people in Dubai then you don't have a chance in hell of getting anything done," he said. "Personally I've given up pursuing our kids' inheritance."
No one at UKCIG replied to us but we did get hold of architect Adam Covell who is named on the UKCIG website as the chief executive.
"I was a consultant but left in November 2008 and was never chief executive," he said. "I've asked them to take that down."
He admitted being aware of Chohan's past but insisted that the failure of the project was largely due to red tape in Dubai.
"I know that there are a hell of a lot of irate people but there are tons of other projects that have also stalled."
The latest update on the UKCIG website about Metropolis Lofts dates back to June and warns investors who do not keep up payments "UKCIG will have no choice but to default the client and re-sell the unit."
Victims of UKCIG have set up the websitehttp://ukcapitalinvestmentsfraud.com (http://ukcapitalinvestmentsfraud.com/)/

done dusted finished closed , investors out of pocket and conned

^^
Maybe there is a lifeline for this project as the biggest private developer in the marina is looking to come to the rescue of stalled projects;

:horse: :gunz:

Dubai Having completed and handed over the world’s tallest dedicated residential high-rise — The Torch with 86 floors — its developer is turning to unfinished business in Ras Al Khaimah.

The Select Group has an ongoing project called the Pacific, featuring a cluster of six mid-rise buildings, in the northern emirate. The topping out for all six properties is complete and the rest of the work is, according to the developer, progressing well.

This will now set the stage for a renewed attempt at selling the 30 per cent of the properties that are unsold as of now. “For the remaining inventory Select holds in Pacific, we are planning to revive our sales campaign in the second quarter,” chairman Rahail Eslam said.
“We will be specifically targeting certain nationalities that are regular visitors to Ras Al Khaimah, i.e., Russians, Italians and Germans, although this does not mean we will restrict our marketing to these groups only. The emirate is a popular retreat among Dubai expatriates and local residents.”

The developer is looking to attain a price tag of Dh700 to Dh800 per square foot. Property selling in these still uncertain times comes with a fair share of caveats.
Buyer’s market

It is very much a buyer’s market and they can well set the tone for what the properties will actually sell for. Only developers with deep pockets and a lot of patience can hope to sit it out until the market trends set an opposite course.

The Select Group expects its track record of five completed projects in Dubai to raise its credentials along with the fact that the Pacific in Ras Al Khaimah is nearly 70 per cent sold.

“The Pacific is one of the few projects that has never been scaled down or placed on hold in RAK. It is around 70 per cent sold and our confidence to complete the project remains intact,” Eslam added. “Tough times have not deterred us from pursuing projects within a framework of prudence and diligence, including the financial planning. And our investor base continues to be intact.”
Even in Dubai it has enough to keep the developer keen in the near term. The handover process is continuing apace at the 41-storey Botanica, and with a botanical garden on the 27th floor, in Dubai Marina.

Completion of the Bay Central, a cluster of three high-rises also located in Dubai Marina, is scheduled for later this quarter. One of the high-rises will function as a five-star hotel and also feature serviced apartments. The identity of the hotel operator has not been disclosed.

Progress on land bank

“All our land bank in Dubai Marina is either under construction or already completed, including the hotel which is anticipated to open in early 2013,” Eslam said. “To date, we are the largest private developer in Dubai Marina.”

The completed properties now have their own owner association managements, which work in coordination with the interim board of property owners. “Within three to four months of opening a new project, we call an annual general assembly of all owners to elect an interim board to work with the OAMs — all FM services within each development are outsourced to specialist third-party suppliers,” Eslam said.

new strategy

rescue scheme

Now that it is more or less done with its roster of its own projects, the Select Group is giving a thought to help out with the stalled developments of other developers.

“There are good opportunities to rescue partially completed developments in Dubai and soon we will be placing our interest in some of those projects,” Rahail Eslam said. “We are already looking at other opportunities in Dubai and internationally — we are not just looking to complete our projects and sit idle.

“However, our main focus is placed on the handovers and completion of our ongoing projects.”

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_12012012_130103/After_Torch_Select_Group_focuses_on_Ras_Al_Khaimah

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi General Prosecution for Public Funds has ordered the detention of two Europeans and other individuals on charges of embezzlement and fraud.
A year ago, the suspects are alleged to have started a fake project selling properties in the United Kingdom at competitive prices. They allegedly targeted UAE investors.
Investigations have since revealed that the company does not have a real estate licence and that the accused defrauded 40 investors.
The General Prosecution seized around Dh3 million the suspects allegedly swindled from their victims, in addition to Dh100,000 found while inspecting the fake company. Another Dh250,000 in the firm's account was also confiscated.
The central bank has been asked to give a report on all the transactions carried out by the company.
The means of information technology used by the defendants for the management of their operations have been identified by authorities, with Interpol being asked to arrest the other defendants in the case.
An official in the Attorney-General's office urged investors in the UAE to be on their guard and to ensure the companies they deal with are authorised to carry out real estate activities in the country.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/arrests-ordered-in-property-fraud-embezzlement-case-1.969545

Time to face the harsh reality. UKCIG transferred funds to Crownestates which has now been closed and people arrested

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/arrests-ordered-in-property-fraud-embezzlement-case-1.969545

STICK TO THE ACTUAL PROJECT STATED, DONT POST B.S THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROJECT
GTR, do you think there is a way to force the cancellation of this project?

^^It won't make any difference, there will be no refund if the money is spent!

All I want to know is, are we as a group, going to take action against these tyrants? We have been sitting around posting on this website for awhile now. I think enough talk, it's time to go after UKCIG. The money might be spent, but there will be other assets belonging to these bastards somewhere. The legal fees will not be too much if divided amongst all who are willing to participate in this. Any thoughts?

Okay people, I was able to make contact with a law firm that specializes in Real Estate matters in Dubai. I received an reply to my inquiry. Please read."I am a managing director for a local UAE law firm that specializes in real estate/property disputes largely for international investors, we just have taken a case on Marina Star and handled a similar one last year with an outcome satisfactory to our client. As far as the costs of our services, we take each case individually, based on type of developer, Emirate, type of contract, complexity of the issue, etc. However, our initial retainer is 5,000 AED that covers preliminary consultation, review of documents, power of attorney and filing a complaint/request to the respective bodies, be it a developer, project management, RERA or Nakheel. Only after info is collected, analyzed and provided to the client, we discuss the details of a contract agreement based on options that the client would want us to pursue. I also I suggested to the group a few days ago that if people decide/coordinate to come to dubai, our firm will be happy to meet and even make a presentation for the group on our strategy/next steps to take based on the current case of Marina Star and some other cases we handled previously on property disputes. We would like to give people a chance to meet, hear us out, consult with others, if they wish and only then decide for the themselves which step they would like to take, be it with us or somebody else.
I asked her two other questions and this is what she answered.
Hi Nilufar, would you be able to give more details or an indication at least as to what you mean by - in a previous case you got 'an outcome satisfactory to our client'?

Also, regarding whether UKCIG are still 'alive', as you suggest, would you be able to say when you last had interaction/communication with them? (She answered) In the case similar to marina we negotiated a swap but on terms that were fair to our client whereby the client had to pay significantly smaller amount for a flat that that was 95% ready and in a location of similar value. In other words, instead of paying the remaining balance of the total owed on the unfinished apartment, the client paid less than half and got a ready flat.As far as RERA, because we have to follow the formalities here, we submitted an initial request and are waiting for their response. We also had to ask for a formal meeting rather than just barging into their office. My advise to all here is that since the local professional etiquette revolves around "showing max respect to the local culture/mode of operation" one should be careful in how to approach them. In other words, max politeness and consideration esp at the very beginning is expected from everyone and more so from foreigners, regardless how angry the latter could be. This will only help build trust and break the ice, so to speak.
If any of you is ready to join me on this, now is the time. I will be in Dubai March 10-17 th. If anyone else likes to take legal action against these pirates please send a private message.

I will come to Dubai on March 10-17 th and i am ready to join you

Best regards
Robert
vviktar@gmail.com

:):)I will come to Dubai on March 10-17 th and i am ready to join you

Best regards
Robert
vviktar@gmail.com

I am ready to join the suit too.

Best regards,
Eugene.
maystorm74@gmail.com

People who would be interested in pursuing a lawsuit towards UKCIG send me a private message. I have the law firm committed to address our issues. I've already have a few people who are willing to participate. The law firm is asking as to the number of people participating, this way we can get a package deal keeping the cost to a minimum.
Thanks.

We will be in Dubai March 10-17th. We have retained a law firm in Dubai and we will be going after RERA. UKCIG has fled the nest and most probably bankrupt. If you like to learn more go to facebook and look for UKCIG ACTION. You will see a posse being assembled. It will be your decision to at least look into this and decide for yourself.

Facebook rumor has it that, Metropolis lofts and Cavendish which are both UKCIG projects have been cancelled.
Maybe Marina Star will be next.

What do you guys mean by cancelling? Giving back the money or... ?

UKCIG doesn't answer never at the office phone. Are they going away from Dubai?

RED, UKCIG IS DONE WITH.

and now? what can we do?

We have to wait till the project is officially cancelled. We have a small chance to receive some money from Escrow or RERA?? Or we might get really lucky and the project is sold to an investor/investors with deep pockets. If so, then we may have a chance to have the building completed. Don't hold your breath for any of this to materialize. I think we are pretty much screwed on this. I for one have wrote this project off and moved on. This kind of crap does happen, don't blame yourself for any of this, unfortunately we gave our money to bunch of thieves.

The only projects that can be cancelled are projects not started/not taken off.
Marina Star can therefore never be cancelled by Rera.

The only projects that can be cancelled are projects not started/not taken off.
Marina Star can therefore never be cancelled by Rera.

Surely, that doesn't make sense?
If the developer runs out of money or disappears and therefore can never finish the project, it must be cancelled so that the deals and the debts with the investors and suppliers can be unravelled.
Once it has been cancelled and the existing developer has been removed then the project will either be taken over by another developer or a government agency who will try and get it at a bargain price and finish he development.

Then it will be treated as a liquidation, but Dubai has no bankruptcy laws. So you are stuck, and probably stuck for many years to come.

But even a cancellation does not give you your money back.
Our project Sunset Gardens B was cancelled last year by Rera, and we learned that all the money on the Escrow are missing. It's a dead end as well.

30/March/2012

Marina Star

http://i39.tinypic.com/235nk3.jpg

I read in the Drudge Report that a Canadian company and DLD, RERA are going to take over projects that have been abandoned.

I read in the Drudge Report that a Canadian company and DLD, RERA are going to take over projects that have been abandoned.

Link?

Select Property also reported their next move was to rescue foundering developments. They have made a lot of money out of selling high and building cheap.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dubai_investors/

I found this link on drudge report which led me to Emirates 24/7 look under (property) on top. You would see bunch of articles, read them all. I think there is a dim light at the end of the tunnel. Here is one of the links.
http://www.emirates247.com/property/real-estate/dubai-opens-property-lifeline-to-owners-and-investors-2011-10-04-1.421803

Hi can anybody help me with some more news about Marina star I bought 2 bedroom on 20 floor and already paid them 800,000 I well apprecate any help

Zelzal,
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but it seems to me that you are new to this forum and not aware of what has been going on. The developers have fled the country, their offices are now closed and all the personnel have disappeared. No contacts have been established by any one of us. We all have our monies stolen by these thieves, rest assured you are not alone. We just have to wait and see what the government indents to do and how they will be handling this mess. If you ask me, I still have some hopes for a would be developer or the government to salvage this property one way or another. Whether, in a way of refund (RERA) or taking over and finishing the project. Remember, the building is in a prime location and sooner or later someone or an entity will be motivated to take action. I just hope this happens in our life time LOL.

To Doomsdayarmy
I really thank you for your information , you have right I’m new hear I didn’t know about this forum before I even tried to contact those thieves on Marina star but nobody answer and I sent somebody to their office but the office was closed , I live in Sweden but I have some friend there , I hope and agree with you about the situation , Maria Star have good and sensitive location and nobody like to see like this bad view in Marina and if the Dubai government like there city so they shouldn’t leave it like that , but hope it well be in our life I well accept even if that well happen in my children life only we get our right back , thanks dear doomsdayarmy once again please mail to me if you well get any information
Fowadi@hotmail.com