THE Olive Press can verify the loss of life of a beleaguered expat funeral planning boss, who vanished ‘owing thousands and thousands’ to his shoppers in Spain.
We’ve established that Stephen Nelson, behind the defunct firm Iberian Funeral Plans, died in Portugal earlier this yr.
The founding father of the agency, which has shut leaving, possible, hundreds of victims out of pocket, handed away on the Algarve.
Portugal’s official register workplace confirmed the loss of life and mentioned it might be sending us a replica of the loss of life certificates subsequent week.
PHOTO: Google Maps
The Conservatoria dos Registos Civil department, in Castro Marim, revealed British expat Stephen George Nelson had died ‘within the Lagos space’.
They declined to remark additional, however gave us an official register quantity.
It comes after Residents Recommendation Bureau Spain (CAB) had rowed again on an announcement he had died, being unable to substantiate it.
It got here after the group described the closure of the agency final month as ‘despicable’ and ‘heartless’, with many expats discovering funeral providers for his or her family members had been not lined.
Though the corporate web site continues to be on-line, the agency has not been responding to any emails for the previous month, and its phone traces run useless.
Iberian itself has provided no affirmation, nor any data in any respect, to its prospects on the corporate’s obvious collapse.
An Olive Press investigation means that there could also be a whole bunch, if not hundreds, of shoppers with nugatory contracts.
Every coverage provided by Iberian price greater than €3,000 (and generally as a lot as €7,250).
This implies the cash lacking could possibly be nicely into the thousands and thousands of euros.
In response to a former worker, a key to what occurred could also be Nelson’s ex-partner Karen Krejzl, who we now have been unable to find.
Her dad and mom, who reside in Manilva, informed us final month, they’d not spoken to her for a while and claimed she ‘left Iberian years in the past’ after ‘falling out with Nelson’.
CAB paralegal Myra Azzopardi informed the Olive Press as we speak she has been ‘as much as all hours investigating into the evening.’
Her group has now spoken to a lawyer about doable authorized motion that could possibly be taken. A number of Iberian prospects have engaged with the lawyer and begun authorized proceedings.
Azzopardi has additionally really helpful these affected file a police report (denuncia).
The agency, which had workplaces in ten areas of Spain and Portugal, provided plans to make funeral preparations as simple as doable for relations again dwelling.
“I took out a plan to avoid wasting my kids from all of the heartache, however now it’s gone. I’m furious and livid, I assumed I used to be doing one of the best factor for my kids,” Torrevieja resident Sue Truman informed the Olive Press.
“There are a whole bunch in the identical boat as me. I’m not going to allow them to get away with it.”
Corporations who provide funeral providers within the UK have to be regulated by the Monetary Conduct Authority, however Spain has no such safeguarding.
Iberian subsequently didn’t maintain cash in a trustee backed checking account, regardless of contracts which misleadingly said funds had been held in company financial institution accounts with BBVA, Santander and HSBC.
Azzopardi mentioned she shouldn’t be going to surrender on discovering out solutions on what occurred to the cash held by Iberian.
“There’s an English expression, which says, ‘It ain’t over til the fats girl sings,’” she mentioned.
“I personally can not quit on these folks, the affected events.”
