Two British businessmen have been formally charged over a suspected fraud of €16 million centred on a château in south-west France.
Back in May, after a lengthy investigation into potential fraud and money laundering, a British businessman was arrested in Spain and extradited back to France.
Now, the man and his business partner have been charged (mis en examen) in France in relation to the case, after a court hearing in Bordeaux in early November.
Former police officer Robin Barrasford, 56, was charged with ‘fraud and money laundering by an organised group’. He has been released on bail of €250,000 and has been banned from leaving French territory.
His business partner Alan Bird, 79, was also charged and released on a bail bond of €800,000 – his bail conditions state that he can only leave France for trips to the UK and back.
Both deny the charges. Their lawyer Julien Plouton told the court that they intend to argue that the scheme was a good faith business enterprise that ended in “a commercial collapse linked to the economic climate”.
The alleged fraud centres on a château in Noth, near Limoges in south-west France, which the two Brits bought for €2.5 million.
They created brochures showing a planned luxury golf and spa retreat – the Halcyon Retreat and Golf Spa – complete with private chalets in the woods surrounding the château, and began advertising for investors, promising them free use of the chalets as well as a hefty profit on their investments in the luxury development.
But according to the financial crimes unit in Limoges, work never even began on the site and instead the cash from investors – estimated to be around €16 million – was funnelled into a network of offshore bank accounts.
The Local has spoken to several people who invested their life savings in the project, hoping for a retirement home or a property investment, and were left with nothing.
READ ALSO: ‘All my hopes and dreams shattered’: French château scam victims speak out