End In Sight For Property Nightmare
There may be light at the end of the tunnel for Andrew and Kate Wilford who have been battling through the Spanish legal system to prove they were the victim of a property scam. Following years of demanding that the Spanish Government take action after their plans for retirement were shattered, it seems that the State Prosecutor has finally decided that a fraud has indeed been committed and has requested a three year period of imprisonment, a recommended term that was later increased to four years.
The developer, Rafael Aguilera and Trampolin Solera will, in addition to the Prison Sentence, be ordered to repay nearly €300,000, including costs and interest.
The couple initially wrote to President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero asking what “an innocent victim” must do to obtain justice after losing around €300,000 in an ‘off-plan’ property scandal. Determined to get someone to help them fight the system Andrew copied the letter to include UK Prime Minister David Cameron, The British Embassy in Madrid, campaigning MEP Michael Cashman, newspapers in the UK and Spain, and ITV’s Homes from Hell.
The couple bought a Murcia home ‘off-plan’ with developers Trampolin Solera and everything seemed to be progressing perfectly. However, when the couple completed the transaction in January 2008 they discovered that the company – now in administration – taken out a substantial builder’s mortgage on the property with CAM, a sum that they were now liable for.
To add insult to injury the Wilfords discovered that their home had been sold a second time to a third party. CAM had valued the property at €397,000 and without question had agreed to pay a great mortgage on it to the developer.
Andrew believes that by taking out mortgages on other people’s homes the development company Trampolin Solera, and associated businesses such as Trampolin Hills and Trampolin Royal Dreams were able to pocket a potential €100 million. Meanwhile, the bankers benefitted by earning lucrative commissions based on inflated valuations.
In July last year Andrew and Kate were told by a magistrate in the Royal Palace of Justice in Murcia that there was a criminal case to answer against the directors of the development company and CAM.
With the new decision it now appears that the courts are requesting that those responsible face imprisonment.
Andrew, who lives in North Wales said: “I had hoped to have retired by now, but this affair has cost almost €300,000. I am now over 60 years old and I have had to kick-start my business again to cover costs. We have spent more than €30,000 in legal fees. If this was happening in the UK the prosecution would be a public expense and would have been tried years ago. We just hope that finally justice has been done.” ( Coast Rider )
