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roundtownnews.com
27 APRil - 03 may 2012
Tyke bites bank back by Jack troughton
EXPAT MIKE Kemp was celebrating this week after winning an important legal round in his ongoing David and Goliath struggle with Barclays Bank over alleged corruption. The Yorkshireman was “over the moon” after a judge at Orihuela signed papers that could put the banking giant in the dock and facing charges of corruption, fraud and misleading advertising. Mike, a retired company director, has been fighting a long running battle with Barclays Spain in Madrid and head office in London after being granted a 100,000€ ten-year advance on an illegal property in 2005. He went to the multinational bank because he was advised by a former director it would never lend on an illegal property and was shocked to find like another 1,200 homes in Catral, his villa had no planning permission. A former councillor in Hull, he said when he won the case – he does not contemplate losing – he would claim compensation for the lost years and start proceedings against Barclays Chief Executive Bob Diamond and predecessor John Varley. He also predicted that the case would become a precedent and open the “floodgates” for action against every bank in Spain that lent on property without first establishing its status. FALSE Mike told RTN the bank had ignored his ongoing complaints – especially over the survey the bank insisted he acquire which clearly showed the 300,000€ new home was illegal, instead relying on an architect’s report which falsely stated it was over five years old and therefore legal. “That is a downright lie but they should not have sat back and hoped that I would go
away – obviously they have not met a Yorkshireman before,” he told RTN. “This has taken a long, long time. People have said ‘give up, you are not going to do anything’ but I always reply I am not that sort of person.” He said the judge signing the indictment had decided there was a case to answer by the bank over an apparent “severe injustice” and his legal team were advised by the public prosecutor there was a 99% chance of court victory. Mike said the stress of the situation had cost him two heart attacks, his marriage, and taken away seven years of his life. “I have been through seven years of hell, seven years more precious than if I was aged 40, I am 70 in September and those years have been ruined by Barclays.” CHAIN He said the bank insisted if he was unhappy with the architect’s report he should sue the professional and the developer. “But I have said ‘no’. Barclays gave me the mortgage and was the last entity in the chain to make sure the deal went through and it was the bank’s job to sue.” And he stopped repaying the loan to “gee up” the situation and bring things to a head. “I have never given up, at times, if I honest, I have been so low I have contemplated doing myself in but have always though they cannot get away with this.” He insisted “when I win this” he would take on the bank’s head office saying banking chiefs were “an absolute disgrace” in failing to investigate fully and independently – instead allowing Madrid to “just cover it all up.” Continued on page 3
iSSUE 654
Fashion show fun More than 70 people turned up to the event and all proceeds raised went to the animal charity. Jean Wardle from the charity was delighted by the amount of money that was raised from the event. Read the full story on page 22.