Global Forestry Investments has been under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office since 2015. The three-year investigation follows serious questions being raised over an investment fund in a teak plantation in Brazil.
Insolvency Services Investigation
The teak plantation fund required investors to put in a minimum of £5,000. They were promised returns of up to 20 percent per year for their investment. This also included a fixed return of 10 percent a year from their plot in the plantation.
However, an investigation by the Insolvency Services found the deal was not that simple. As part of the fund, Global Forestry received an investment of £20,146.631 from the Belem Sky Project. It also received an additional £3,863.185 from the Para Sky Project.
Return on Investment?
Initial signs were good with investors in the Belem Sky Project receiving returns of £709,884.69 in total.
However, there was no evidence in the company’s records or any information from third parties of any returns made to investors in the Para Sky Project.
The investigation found that £13 million from the sale of the plots was paid into the bank account of the company’s directors, while regular investors missed out on the promised windfall.
A further £8 million was used to pay off debts of another firm the directors controlled. That firm was eventually wound up in 2014.
The Results
The investigation resulted in two of the directors of the fund being banned from controlling or managing a limited company for ten years. Hundreds of investors are now in a battle to get back the money that is rightly theirs.
We have worked with thousands of people who have been mis-sold an unregulated scheme. Our clients acted on bad advice and we are now working to get their money back.
If you invested in any of the plantations please get in touch with one of our team today who will be able to provide free expert advice.