London ex-pat sues former director of Sylhet Excelsior resort in a British court
Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Contributing Editor,Shottobani
London: Sayed Chowdhury, former MD of Excelsior’s Sylhet hotel resort, has been ordered to pay investor Abdul Bari, Taka 53 lacs by a British court. Abdul Bari, the claimant in the case, an investor in Excelsior resort, known as Zakaria City in Sylhet and Director of the Royal Regency, London made the details of the court verdict known at a virtual press conference organised by the London Bangla Press Club on 9 February 2021.
In a written statement, Abdul Bari said, “I filed the case of fraud and forgery against Sayed Chowdhury and Excelsior Sylhet Limited in the British High Court in a bid to bring Sayed to justice. I sued him to get my investment of Taka 53 lakh. Judge Saunders of Central London County Court announced the verdict on 27 October 2020. In the case, Sayed Chowdhury was identified as someone providing half-truths or false representations. Sayed Chowdhury was personally convicted in the case. The court has ordered him to repay my Taka 53 lakh investment, court expenses, and interest within 14 days.”
In the press conference, it was said the fact that a British court proved Sayed Chowdhury’s fraudulent misrepresentation is a unique milestone for other UK expatriate investors who have suffered and were deceived in the name of investments.
Abdul Bari said in 2016, he filed a case in the British High Court against Sayed Chowdhury and Excelsior Sylhet, alleging falsehood and fraud. The case was later transferred to the Business and Property Section of the County Court in Central London. The case was heard for five days from 27 July to 31 July 2020, following a long two-and-a-half-years of exchange of documents and evidence. On 27 October, Judge HHJ Saunders announced the verdict. The Judge said the defendant made at least four false representations. Given the determination, the Judge awarded damages to the claimant in the sum of Taka 53 lac.
Abdul Bari said the court had also issued an indefinite injunction on the property owned by Sayed Chowdhury and his wife Afia Khatun Chowdhury in a final verdict on 3 February 2021 in response to a separate application to ensure his refund. The injunction will apply to all their assets, including their assets in England and Wales and Sayed Chowdhury’s Bangladeshi assets and business share.