Fantoommiljardäri uus etteaste
Lõuna-Aafrikas Kaplinnas elav 43aastane jurist Martin Botha on kulutanud terve viimase nädala, et koostada politseile materjal mehest, keda ta kirjeldab kui globaalset aferisti. End pururikaste investorite esindajana esitlenud Giovanni Sposato (pildil) ilmus Botha ellu poolteist aastat tagasi ja jooksutas lõuna-aafriklasi utoopiliste lubadustega üle ilma.
Talle omase laia joonega jõudis uute LAV-i sõprade külalislahkust nautinud Sposato teha miljonitesse ulatuvaid diile veinimõisa, ööklubi ning modelliagentuuri ostmiseks. See oli kõik siiski kommiraha, võrreldes 240 miljoni dollarilise hüpertehinguga, mida ta kergeusklikele reklaamis.
Veel tänavu augustis saatis sõnaosav sitsiillane oma kompanjonidele Lätist paberi, mis näitab, et Giovanni Sposato Hansabanka arvel lebab 245 miljonit dollarit. See astronoomiline erahoius võrduks umbes kümnendikuga panga kogubilansist ega vasta pankurite kinnitusel kindlasti tõele.
Kuid merede ja mägede taga LAVis neelati sööt koos konksuga alla. Eestis persona non grata’ks tunnistatud Sposato kunst ongi hullutada rahahädas ehk kiiret rikastumist lootvaid kliente, kes tema maalitud pilte rahajõgedest erilise kriitikameelega ei vaata.
Muuseas kasutas ta neid kontakte juba järgmiste kelmuste sepitsemiseks. Paralleelselt lasi manipulaator naiivsetel ärisõpradel sujuvalt hüvitada isiklikke arveid, alates külluslikust olmest ja lõpetades kosmeetiliste protseduuridega. Isand Botha hinnangul on ta rahvusvahelise blufoloogiga jahmerdades kaotanud ligi 3,5 miljonit krooni ning tegelikult laostunud.
Hämmastav on, et afäär Aafrikas toimus pärast seda, kui mesimagusa naeratusega superinvestor end Eesti Raudtee erastamise komejandis diskrediteeris ning siin sule sappa sai. Botha nutulugu valmistab ilmselt äratundmisrõõmu või -kibedust mõnelegi eestlasele, kes 32aastase kehkadivei lummavaid luiskelugusid kuulis.
Mõne meelest kuulub äkiliste tujumuutuste poolest tuntud Sposato meditsiiniliste juhtumite valdkonda. Ehk tuleb Sposato raugematu energia keemiast, millele Martin Botha oma tunnistuses viitab?
Sposato: I’ll be back!
Oma sõnul hetkel Londonis viibiv, kuid nädala lõpus Pakistani kõrgetasemelistele ärikohtumistele lendav Giovanni Sposato eitab lõuna-aafriklastele puru silma ajamist.
“Kui tahate mister Botha illusioonidest ja paranoiadest kirjutada, laske käia. Mind see ei huvita. Olen hõivatud inimene ja keskendun praegu peamiselt Eestisse naasmisele,” on Sposato häirimatu.
“Botha on pankrotis ja loodab selle pealt teenida. Mis iganes fantastilise loo ta välja mõtles, on mul igati võimalus see faktidega kummutada. Võiksin anda tonnide viisi kompromiteerivaid materjale tema kohta, kuid ma ei tee seda, sest see oleks lapsik.”
Mäletatavasti vaidlustas itaallane kohtus siseminister Margus Leivo määruse, mis kehtestas talle kevadel eluaegse sissesõidukeelu. Sposato ootab lootusrikkalt selle reede pärastlõunat, mil kohtunik Hurma Kiviloo otsuse teatavaks teeb.
Mina, globaalse aferisti ohver
Hakkasin juhtimiskonsultandina tegema koostööd firmaga CU Technologies, mis asub Lõuna-Aafrikas ja tegeleb animatsioonitarkvara loomisega. Mullu veebruaris esitles firma Londonis messil Voice World oma programmi esimest versiooni.
Sel messil kohtus see Sposato-tegelane CU inimestega ja rääkis neile, et esindab rühma investoreid, kes otsivad infotehnoloogia vallas investeerimisvõimalusi. 2002. aasta veebruarist aprillini peeti hulgaliselt läbirääkimisi, kuidas leida toodete edasiarendamiseks raha.
Kutsusime Sposato Lõuna-Aafrikasse, et arutelu jätkata. Möödunud aasta augustis leppisime põhimõtteliselt kokku, et tahame 40 miljonit USA dollarit, kui peaksime firma tervikuna maha müüma.
Üks Sposato lisatingimus oli, et tehing toimuks Euroopas. Meie omanduses on firma Winchester Holdings Investments ning otsustasime, et tehingu saaks sooritada selle kaudu. Läbirääkimiste ajal tasusime kõik Sposato kulud.
Üleilmne klaperjaht rahale
Allkirjastasime aktsiamüügilepingu. Lõbusaks läks siis, kui hakkasime raha olemasolu kohta tõestust küsima. Sellal kuulsime, et Sposato on tegelikult mingite Vene ärimeeste agent ning raha on kohe-kohe tulemas, kuid selle kättesaamisega sealt, kus iganes see ka polnud, on pisikesi tehnilisi raskusi.
Avasime Winchesterile pangakontod Londonis ja Guernsey saarel. Siis teatas Sposato, et tema investorid eelistavad kontosid Brüsselis. Sõitsime Belgiasse kontot avama.
Nüüd oli Sposato jutu järgi kõik korras ja 2002. aasta oktoobriks laekub raha. Oktoobri lõpus teatas ta, et kõik pole siiski valmis. Detsembri keskel selgus, et peame minema Sposatoga Kopenhaagenisse, et raha lõpuks kätte saada. Sõitsime jõuludeks Taani.
Kopenhaagenis me mingit raha ei saanud. Naasime LAVi ja otsustasime lepingu katkestada. Kaks-kolm nädalat ei kuulnud me Sposatost tuhkagi.
Mõisad, klubid ja modellid
2003. aasta jaanuari lõpus võttis ta minuga äkki ühendust ja küsis, kas olen huvitatud tema ülemustega uue lepingu üle läbi rääkimisest. Uus lepe puudutaks juba vähemalt 240 miljoni USA dollari (ca 3,4 miljardi krooni – toim) investeerimist ja LAVi firmade ostmist.
Kõik algas otsast. Veebruaris 2003 saabus Sposato Lõuna-Aafrikasse, et saaksime uut tehingut arutada. Nüüd leidis ta, et siin meeldib talle sedavõrd, et ta allkirjastab lepingu, millega ostab Kapimaal ligi nelja miljoni dollari eest veinimõisa (Oaklands Farm). Talle meeldis ka ööklubi ja restoran (Fezz Night Club) ning ta sõlmis leppe nende omandamiseks miljoni dollari eest. Ta ei maksa ühegi firma eest kokkulepitud hinda.
Kaplinnas asutas ta modelliagentuuri Hypnotica Model Management (ta ütles, et teeb seda endale tegevuse leidmiseks ajani, mil raha vabaneb). Nüüd läks lõbusaks. Nähes mõnd ilusat noort tüdrukut, sõlmis ta temaga modellilepingu, millega kohustus talle kolmeks aastaks tööd leidma tingimusel, et lepingu väärtus on vähemalt miljon dollarit. Ta sõlmis nais- ja meesmodellidega vähemalt viis sellist lepingut.
Vene eksministri rahapaigutaja
Kui ta Kaplinnas äri ajas, sõlmisime investeerimis- ja laenulepingu, millega me laenasime tema ülemustelt 240 miljonit dollarit. Sposato sõnul on tema komisjonitasu laenulepingu koostamise eest umbes viis miljonit dollarit. Maksetähtajaks määrati veebruari lõpp 2003.
Raha ei tule. Selle asemel ütles ta, et tema investorid on kõrgetasemelised ärimehed, kes kuuluvad 21 Vene ja Euroopa äritegelasest koosnevasse konsortsiumi. Teiste hulgas mainitakse Venemaa ekspeaministrit ja Gazpromi eksjuhti Viktor Tšernomõrdinit ja rahvusvahelist aktsiakauplejat George Sorost.
2003 märtsi lõpus teatas Sposato, et tema bossid otsustasid tehingu sooritada Bangkokis. Niisiis sõitsime tänavu aprillis Taisse. Ostsime seal firma, koostasime Bangkokis nõudmiste kohaselt uued lepingud ja ootasime raha. Mai lõpuks raha ei saabunud.
Juunis otsustasin selle mehega sidemed katkestada, sest näis, et ta ei ole eales võimeline lubadusi täitma. Siis teatas Sposato, et suudab saada laenu finantseerimisele osalise garantiikirja. Saimegi Londonist Banco Santanderist garantiikirja. Hiljem osutus see ja veel teised tema garantiid kattetuks.
Läbi nagu läti raha
Augustis, kui olime tõesti rahulolematud, teatas Sposato, et tema investorid viisid kogu raha ühte Läti panka. Ta saadab Riiast meile ühe Lätis sõlmitud lepingu koopia ja sealse Hansapanga kontoväljavõtted, mis näitavad, et tema arvel on 240 miljonit dollarit. Niisiis kirjutasime alla uuele lepingule, mille tähtaeg on 10. oktoober 2003.
10. oktoobriks ainsatki lubadust ei täideta. Selle asemel nõuab Sposato, et ma sõidaksin Lätti panka allkirja andma. Kuna ma ei saa rahahäda tõttu sinna sõita, teatab ta, et kogu asi jääb ära. Võtan ühendust Hansapanga juhtkonnaga, et uurida, kas see raha on iial eksisteerinud.
Eile teatasid nad mulle, et Sposatol on küll nende juures pangaarve, aga sellel pole ligilähedaseltki sellist summat, millest meil juttu oli. Nende sõnul on Sposato arvatavasti konto väljavõtteid manipuleerinud või võltsinud.
Täna helistas mulle üks härra Läti firmast, mille nimel Sposato viimasel ajal esines. Ta ütles, et Sposato nõustus septembri algul ostma ühe klubi Riias. Kui talle oma kohustuste täitmiseks survet avaldati, kadus ta lihtsalt ära. Ka nemad kandsid kahju, makstes advokaaditasusid ja tema elamiskulusid. Pealegi eitavad nad, et Sposatol on kunagi olnud õigus nende nimel tegutseda või lepinguid allkirjastada.
Uimastid ja iluoperatsioonid
Esimesest päevast peale ei palunud Sposato meil kunagi teha ühtki ettemaksu. See jättis mulje, et ta on tõesti vahemees meie ja oma ülemuste vahel. Kuid me pidime tasuma tema kulud ja elamise, sest ta ei saanud kasutada neid vahendeid oma isiklikuks otstarbeks, sest komisjonitasu makstakse siis, kui laenuvõtja raha kätte saab.
Me katsime kõik selle mehe kulud, kaasa arvatud iluoperatsioonid. Tal oli rindade korrigeerimise operatsioon (ta kasutab ecstasyt, mis põhjustab vedeliku kogunemist rindkeresse). Ma maksin süstide eest, mis eemaldasid tema näost kortsud ja muutsid huuled suuremaks. Ma ostsin talle uue mobiiltelefoni ja riideid.
Selle mehe süü tõttu olen ma majanduslikult hävinud. Kogu kahju on praegu ligikaudu 300 000 USA dollarit (üle nelja miljoni krooni). Veel läinud nädala kolmapäeval saatsin talle Londonisse raha (1000 dollarit väidetavalt elamiskuludeks).
Möödunud teisipäeval vaidlesime kõige selle üle ägedalt. Ta ähvardas, et laseb mind “ära koristada” ja et minu 13aastase tütre “eest hoolitsetakse”, sest ta on ainus, keda ma pole veel kaotanud. Nüüd otsustasin ma, et saagu mis saab, kogu selles loos tuleb korraldada ülemaailmne juurdlus ning sellest tuleb igal pool kirjutada.
Martin Botha
22. oktoober 2003
Martin Botha kirja ingliskeelne originaal
22 October 2003
Dear Mihkel
In Re: Mr. Giovanni Sposato (AKA “Ivan”)
Background
I got involved as a management consultant to a company called CU Technologies, which is South African-based. The business of CU is the development of animation software for the entertainment and promotion industries.
During February of last year, this company launched an interim version of the software in London at the Voice World Trade Fair.
I was not in London during this launch. This Sposato character met the people from CU at this trade fair, and told them that he represents a group of investors who are looking for new investment opportunities in the IT Industry.
From February to April of 2002, there was a lot of discussion going on with the view of attracting investments for the further development of this companies products.
We then invited Sposato to South Africa to further the discussions. Around August of last year, we in principle agreed and based on the intellectual value of this business that we wanted 40 Million US Dollars, should we sell outright to another party.
It was a condition from Sposato that should he buy this business on behalf of his investors, we will sign management agreements with the new owners of this business and the price of 40 Million US Dollars is acceptable to them. It was a further condition that this transaction would have to take place in Europe and not in South Africa, and that we need a European business structure for this purpose. We had a company with the name of Winchester Holdings Investments that was and decided that the transaction can be done through this company as it was our intention in any way to move the intellectual property of the software to an off-shore structure. In the interim, we were paying all the costs of Sposato whilst we were negotiating contracts.
A sale of shares agreement was then drawn and signed. The fun started when we started to ask for proof of funds.
During this period, we were then told that Sposato is actually the agent for some Russian businessmen, and that payment is forthcoming, but they have some technical difficulties in getting the funds released from where-ever it was. It was also a condition from Sposato that we would need to set up bank accounts.
We set up the bank accounts for Winchester in London and Guernsey. He then came back to us and said his investors would rather prefer to have the bank accounts set up in Brussels, Belgium. So, of we go to Belgium to set up the bank accounts.
According to Sposato, everything was now OK, and that the transaction would be completed by end October 2002. Came end October, he advised us that everything is not ready on their side, and asked if we could amend the agreement to be finalized by end December 2002. We agreed. Towards the middle of December we were told that we need to accompany Sposato to Copenhagen in Denmark to actually receive the funds. So, of we go to Copenhagen over Christmas.
In Copenhagen, we do not get paid, and there is no money. We come back to South Africa, and decide to at this time to cancel the sale of the shares agreement.
For a period of 2 to 3 weeks, we hear nothing from Sposato. End of January 2003, he contacts me and asks me should I be interested in negotiating a new agreement between his principals as the sale of the shares of Winchester has been cancelled.
The new agreement would relate to the investment of not less than 240 Million US Dollars and that the investors now would like to buy South African-based businesses. So, there we go again. February of 2003, Sposato come to South Africa so we could negotiate the new agreements. Now he decides that he likes South Africa so much, that he signs a contract to buy a wine-estate in the Cape Province for Approx. 4 Million US Dollars. He also likes a specific night club and restaurant, and makes an agreement to buy these businesses for another Million Dollars. He never pays the purchase price for any of these.
While in Cape Town, he starts a modeling agency (to keep him busy he says until the funds is available) Now we have fun. When he sees a nice young girl, he negotiates a modeling contract with her, and then signs an agreement to contract her for three years on the basis that the contract value is 1 Million US Dollars minimum plus they will share the proceeds of the income from the model. He signs at least 5 contracts of this nature with male and female models.
He also starts negotiations in this time to buy various modeling agencies in Cape Town, including the top two agencies that is known world-wide. When he is asked for proof of funds, these agencies chases him away.
Now, while is doing his business in Cape Town, we sign a funding/loan agreement where we would lend from his principles an amount of some 240 Million US Dollars. His commission out of structuring this loan agreement he says will be at 5 Million US Dollars and he could then pay for all of his liabilities. The due date for payment then becomes the end of February 2003.
The money never comes, and when asked for proof of funds, he tells us that his investors is high-profile businessmen forming part of a syndicate of 21 prominent Russian and European business people.
The peoples names that is mentioned is, Viktor Chernomyrdin, former Russian Prime Minister and former Chairman of Gazprom, George Soros, an international equity market specialist, and then some other people who after we have checked it out is not known people.
Towards the end of March 2003, he tells us that his principals have now decided that they want this transaction to take place via Bangkok, Thailand.
So, early April this year we are off to Thailand. There we buy a company, structure the new agreements in Bangkok as requested and now wait for the money. We also advise Bank Thai of the transaction and now we wait. The due date for performance on his side is now latest end of May 2003. The money never comes.
In June of 2003, I decide to sever ties with this man, as it seems that he will never be able to perform at all.
He then tells me that he is able to issue a guarantee for payment of part of this loan funding. So we get a guarantee from Banco Santander out of London.
The guarantee is never paid or honored.
End of July, he faxes me from London new undertakings, but this time from Continental Bank-Benin.
These undertakings is not genuine and relates to the “911” Nigerian Scam.
During August of 2003, we now are really not happy. He then says that his investors have now moved all of the funds into a Latvian Bank, and while he is in Riga Latvia, he faxes us a copy of an agreement in Latvia, plus bank statements to proof that the money really exist and that he is able to finalize the loan agreement providing we sign new agreements again. This time between New Millenium Industries and Imax Capital.
So, we sign new agreements with a new date for 10 October 2003.
10 October comes, no performance on his side.
During the week of 6 October 2003, Sposato tells me that his principals want me to go to Latvia, where they will give me a power of attorney on the account where the funds are held, and that we can deploy the funds from there into the venture capital fund that was created for this purpose.
I am not bale to go to Latvia because of financial constraints, so he says that if I am not able to go to Latvia to complete the signatures of the mandates with the bank in Latvia, this whole transaction is no more.
Late last week I make contact with senior management of Hansa Bank with the view to find out if this money ever existed.
Yesterday they come back to me replying that Sposato has a bank account there, but not nearly has the type of money we are talking about. In very few words they are saying that Sposato seems to have altered or fraudulently changed the bank statements.
This morning I received a phone call from a gentleman from New Millenium Industries. He tells me that Sposato agreed to buy a club in Riga. When they put pressure on him to honour his obligations, he just disappeared. This was early September. They have also lost money by paying for legal costs, his living expenses etc. They also deny him ever having the powers to act on their behalf and sign contracts for New Millenium.
My Summary:
From the first day we where never asked to pay any money upfront. This made us think that he is really the middleman between his principals and us. But, we had to pay his expenses and living costs because he cannot access any of the funds for his personal use, as his commission will only be payable to him when the finance is received by the lender.
We paid for everything of this man including cosmetic surgery;
He had an operation to his breasts (he uses extassy and causes a build-up of fluid in the chest)
I paid for injections that makes the wrinkles go away in his face and makes his lips bigger
I bought him a new celphone in Copenhagen (damage 1200 US Dollars)
I bought him clothes
Total damages at this time for actual expenses, approximately 2 Million Rand (Approx. 300,000 US Dollars)
I am financially ruined because of this man. So late as last week Wednesday I telegraphed money to him in London, (1000 US Dollars- to apparently pay for living expenses)
We had a heated conversation on Tuesday last week about all of this. He then threatened to have me “taken-out” and also cause for my daughter of 13 to be “looked after” since she is my only thing that I have not lost yet.
I have now decided , come what may-this whole thing needs to be investigated and published world-wide.
Should you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me
Regards
Martin Botha
