Cyprus-Forum.com

[Get Real!]

The rights of a criminal under a criminal entity can be mind boggling…

We are members of Aga Buyers Action Group (ABAG) and in October 2007 we all got together to pen this letter.
Over 2500 copies were distributed worldwide

To The People of the TRNC and Turkey

We are a group of British housewives, and their families, who it would appear are causing an upset to the Construction Industry in the beautiful TRNC. Well, we are here to try to explain ourselves and hope that you understand the reasoning behind our actions.

For many years now, some since 2003, we have been waiting for either our properties to be built or a refund of our monies paid. We are all the victims of AGA Development/Gary John Robb/Tahir Soycan and numerous other Directors of AGA which currently include Cafer Gurcafer, Head of the Cyprus Turkish Building Contractors Association. We were sold villas marketed by the sales team of Unwins Estate Agents. The villas were going to be built by AGA Developments. Both these companies have British and Turkish Cypriot Directors. We were all guided legally by Turkish Cypriot lawyers as to land issues, deeds, Contracts etc.

We have given these persons over 4 years now to put right the wrongs they have caused, and we have been completely ignored. Back in April 2007 we handed in a request by over 150 AGA buyers for help from Mr Soyer - we heard nothing from his office. We have put in our complaints to the Government's Property Complaints Office, but to date none of the complaints has resulted in a refund or other solution from this Government Dept. We have written thousands of letters and emails to anyone we thought would listen, and again hit a brick wall from within the Government of the TRNC. We have visited TRNC offices in the UK and Cyprus and met with lawyers and many officials only to find a wall of silence from within the TRNC. But the interesting fact is that in all this time while looking for justice, not only for ourselves but all AGA victims, we have unwittingly collated documented evidence of high level corruption which we will at some stage release into the public domain.

GR comment: They’re looking for “justice” in an internationally condemned Turkish military base… neat! They might have better luck buying a villa from the Tamil Tigers next time…

We are predominantly three families who are now in serious financial trouble with no light at the end of the tunnel for the return of our monies.

GR comment: That's gotta hurt... but not as much as those that were ethnically cleansed eh?

We are not property developers, millionaires or business people, just three ordinary families who fell in love with the TRNC and wanted to put some roots there.

GR comment: Ordinary families don't buy stolen property from illegal regimes sunshine...

We have been accused of cashing-in on cheap property, but, the price that we were paying at that time was no different to those in the rest of the EU. We all fell in love with the TRNC because it is unspoilt and has some of the friendliest people in the world, warm and helpful and welcoming. However, the island is a magnet to criminals and their activities, and this has been to the cost of the TRNC and its own people, not only us.

GR comment: You don't say! So what's an "ordinary" family like you doing in a criminal place like that sweetheart?

Ask yourselves how these people manage to buy the biggest houses on the island and drive the most expensive cars? You do not see the average Turkish Cypriot in a Ferrari or an equally expensive 4 x 4, no, the ordinary people of Northern Cyprus struggle to find work and keep a roof over their heads - the same as ordinary people in the rest of Europe . Could this be due to the high level corruption that we have seen to exist in the TRNC?

GR comment: I guess you turned out the dumber of the two criminals thinking you were getting a "bargain"...

We do not wish to interrupt the business dealings of those honest business people who promote all that is good in the TRNC, but unless we make ourselves heard we will continue to be ignored and lose everything we have worked hard for in our lives. Interest rates in Britain are rising fast and we are all paying a huge amount of money every month for something that we do not have and are unlikely to have, whilst various directors of AGA take delivery of brand new cars on a regular basis.

You may ask yourselves as to why we have not taken the legal route in the TRNC. The straight answer to that is we have. One of our group actually has a Judgement, which was granted in April 2005. To date they cannot get anyone to enforce this Judgement. You have to ask why no one can enforce this Judgement??

GR comment: Hey, pseudo wits... ever heard of the pseudo land?

We have evidence of three lawyers that cannot seem to enforce it. Another has been awaiting a Judgement since Oct 2005 - this family are still awaiting news on this Judgement after 2 years. We therefore have very little faith in the legal system of the TRNC,

GR comment: They've got a legal system in the ILLEGAL pseudo land? Now that's what I call an oxymoron!!!


and now the British High Commission has stepped in to monitor the effectiveness of this legal system - to see if in fact it does exist for ordinary people, or is it a one-way street for those in good favour of the TRNC Government or other influential type bodies that seem to exist within Northern Cyprus?? Time will tell, we hope to be proved wrong.

We as AGA BUYERS ACTION GROUP cannot afford to be still and quiet any longer, we are fighting for the survival of our families. Our families are suffering and we want a stable family life just like everybody does.

GR comment: If you wanted a "stable family life" you'd respect international law!

All we ask is for a refund of what we have paid, what has been stolen from us. We are starting to make waves now; this wave we hope will become a tsunami as our media campaign grows. Why is the Government so short sighted? Why cant the Government see that we could also be a bonus to the TRNC and promote it as a safe haven in which to purchase a property? We could help the Tourist Industry to boom again, we have gained the knowledge and the experience to do this, but unless we are being seen to be helped, we can only fight for what is rightfully ours, and this in conclusion could have a wider implication on damaging the TRNC economy. We do not want to hurt anybody, especially innocent people like ourselves who are just trying to make the best of their lives. So we apologise to the innocent people of the TRNC but we hope that you understand from what we have said, our need to be seen and heard; after all we are only trying to safeguard our futures and as a lioness does, protect her pride from danger.

The Northern Cyprus Government must shoulder a lot of blame regarding the corruption.

GR comment: Here's an idea... why don't you take legal action against their "government" ? Surely they are answerable to international law!!!


They know the outcome of Police Investigations into missing funds regarding AGA Development, and have not published anything, or indeed not one person has been brought to justice for what they have done to both UK and Turkish Cypriot people, this is not ACCEPTABLE IN ANY CIVILISED SOCIETY.

GR comment: Sure... but whatever made you think that the "TRNC" is a "civilised society" ???

We urge Ferdi Sabit Soyer, Prime Minister of the TRNC, to stand by his statement that the construction sector is important to him and that "FOREIGNERS CAN KEEP CONFIDENCE...AND MAY COMFORTABLY PURCHASE HOUSES FROM THIS COUNTRY". If this is not the case, Mr Soyer and his Government should issue a statement to that effect so people are aware that there is no TRNC commitment to its foreign buyers and its construction industry. If you wish to see the full extract of the publication, "North Cyprus, A Comprehensive Guide to Buying Your Home, by the Cyprus Turkish Building Contractors Association". where Mr Soyer, and other officials make promises they appear to not want to keep, please contact us at the below PO Box number or at [email protected]. It will be our pleasure to send this to you. The same publication states that if members of the Association do not adhere to its strict standards "THE PENALTY THAT THE LAW REQUIRES IS IMPRISONMENT". AGA Developments Limited is listed as a member - as far as we are aware not one Director has been prosecuted with any offence, even though hundreds of people have lost millions of UK pounds. They are allowed to walk freely while their customers suffer.

If anyone has any information that could help us in our plight to expose any corruption, information that we can add to that which we already have, you can send it anonymously to:


AGA BUYERS ACTION GROUP
P.O. BOX 261
LEEDS
LS16 0 BZ
United Kingdom

Our very best regards to you all and thank you for listening to us.

Aga Buyers Action Group
Pat, Sue, Sandra & Their Families
Ahmet Cagacar & Family

Well duh! Never mind the "TRNC" brochure... have you seen the UN resolutions and countless warnings against this illegal Turkish military base?

http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/properties/oc ... enDocument

[boomerang]

We are not property developers, millionaires or business people, just three ordinary families who fell in love with the TRNC and wanted to put some roots there.

and you got rooted..so what's the problem?

However, the island is a magnet to criminals and their activities, and this has been to the cost of the TRNC and its own people, not only us.

So you saying no honour between thieves?...whats this world coming too?

[boomerang]

These people should have known better...there is NO WARRANTY when it comes to stolen goods...

[Svetlana]

Gary Robb, the Developer of AGA, is on the run from the Police in the UK and his brother is in Jail, both in connection with Drug dealing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mr Gary Robb of Aga Developments Ltd and Amaranta Valley

Mr Gary Robb is the former owner of the Blue Monkey, a Teeside nightclub / rave joint. He was arrested by the Cleveland police in 1996 after some 200 police in full riot gear carried out a drugs raid on the premises. He was charged with conspiracy to supply Ecstasy and amphetamines.

His brother, James Robb, was convicted and given a 10 year sentence after a raid on the Colosseum club in Stockton. Apparently the brothers either owned or controlled 5 clubs in the North East of England. He had apparently faced Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) charges on several occasions during the course of his career, although some may consider this to be an occupational hazard in his profession..

Mr Gary Robb disappeared while on bail and subsequently surfaced in North Cyprus. He claims to be innocent of all charges and hopes to return to the UK, at some future date, in order to clear his name.

Cleveland police have recently confirmed that the warrant for Mr Robb remains on file and that he will be arrested should he return to the UK.

Mr Robb formed a TRNC company, Aga Developments Ltd, and commenced several construction projects in the TRNC.

The main development is at Arapkoy, to the east of Kyrenia and off the mountain road to Nicosia and Ercan airport. On this site, some 246 properties remain under construction. The site is called Amaranta Valley, and the sad tale is often referred to as the Aga Saga.

Work at Arapkoy was halted in September 2005 when Gary Robb disappeared from the TRNC. On this occasion, he resurfaced in Thailand. He stated that he had hoped to start another property company in Thailand and help with re-construction after the Tsunami disaster.

During his stay in Thailand he apparently remarried. His wife is an Ethiopian born lady, and they now have several children.

His honeymoon stay in Thailand was curtailed when he attempted to transfer some £1.5 million from a UK bank account. It is no surprise that the UK authorities had frozen the funds as he remains a fugitive from UK justice. Things got worse when the TRNC authorities froze his North Cyprus bank accounts, although it is unclear as to the value of funds held in these accounts. The TRNC government also revoked Mr Robb's TRNC citizenship, based on the allegation that his claim to have performed military service in the UK was false. This means that he was eligible for army service in TRNC prior to being granted citizenship. His plant and equipment was apparently seized and impounded by TRNC customs officials due to paperwork and tax irregularities. The Greek Republic of Cyprus issued an international arrest warrant based on the charge that he had built on Greek land in the TRNC.

Mr Gary Robb then negotiated a deal with the TRNC government whereby he would be able to return to North Cyprus, and stay out of jail, provided he completed the Amaranta Valley project. As it was rumoured that the UK police were seeking to extradite him from Thailand, a return to TRNC seemed the better option.

Upon his return to North Cyprus in May 2006, Amaranta Valley was not the only property problem facing him. In fairness to Mr Robb, it would seem that several of his colleagues and business associates lacked loyalty and sought to profit from his misfortune. The precise details of several business arrangements have not been published. A solicitor, Akan Kursat, claims to have held 51 percent of the shares in Aga Development Construction Ltd but that the majority of these shares were transferred to Gary Robb without his consent. This allegedly took place on 18 August 2005 for the sum of 1,018 YTL, and the matter came to light after a routine search at Companies House, Nicosia.

There is a development of some 20 detached properties at Catalkoy, on the beach side of the road, behind the football stadium. This development is almost complete and the properties have mains electric and tarmac access roads. However, even on this development, there is uncertainty concerning the title deeds. We are informed by a lawyer who has represented some 10 UK buyers that there is no prospect of title deeds being issued in the foreseeable future. This is possibly because the title deeds may have been held by Mr Robb in his own name, rather than in the name of Aga Developments Ltd. A person is only able to hold more than 1 donum of land if he is a TRNC citizenship. As Mr Robb's TRNC citizenship has been revoked, this would place any title deeds he held in limbo.


One property on this development was on offer for resale at £50,000 cash. Needless to say this would not be a prudent purchase.

In each of his developments, Mr Gary Robb has been accused of double selling. That is, selling the same property to several UK customers and taking deposits and stage payments off each.

In early January 2008, an agreement was reached between Mr Robb and some 200 UK customers of Amaranta Valley. Mr Robb agreed to undertake a survey of the site and to demolish those properties which had decayed beyond repair due to the weather and landslip. The remaining properties would be completed in some 12 months provided the customers paid the remaining monies due to Aga Developments Ltd under their original contracts of sale. It was stressed that the customers would only need to pay any outstanding funds which were due. This latter point took some considerable time to negotiate, as it was reported that an additional sum of some £7,000 per customer would be required prior to the re-comencement of work.

In order for Mr Robb to recommence construction, a considerable number of injunctions needed to be lifted on the developments. These were taken out by aggrieved purchasers when work stopped in 2005 and Mr Robb left North Cyprus. The purpose of these injunctions was to prevent Aga Developments Ltd from disposing of the properties or borrowing funds on the security on the properties. However, the number of injunctions is apparently quite large. In addition, many injunctions refer to the entire site at Amaranta Valley rather than an individual property and we understand that several injunctions cover all Mr Robb's business interests in North Cyprus. The lifting of these injunctions will take some time to complete and will incur significant legal fees.

Should a customer be so disenchanted that he/she does not want to take occupation of the property, should it ever be completed, then Mr Gary Robb has offered to resell any such property and give the original buyer a full refund.

Mr Robb's health has deteriorated and he has apparently suffered a mild heart attack. He does appear to be recovering, to the intense relief of his customers. However, he remains, as ever, upbeat. He has reportedly stated that he now wishes to acquire a further 850 donums (283 acres) of adjoining land and build a total of 1,000 houses at Amaranta Valley.

Work re-commenced at Amaranta Valley in January 2008, to the surprise of many sceptics who considered the situation to be so chaotic as to render a solution near impossible. In addition to the admirable personal efforts of Mr Robb, progress has been facilitated by the actions of Ron Hugo and his colleagues of the Amaranta Buyers Committee, and the support of the TRNC government. We all look forward to further good news.

[miltiades]

The sad reality , knowing the Brits as well as I do , none were interested in the political connotations of buying land in North Cyprus , an area that their own government and the governments of every single nation on earth do not recognise. All they were interested in was to purchase a bargain , a bit like buying "back of a lorry " goodies
, complete with the sun and see . Good luck in their battle for "justice "

[tessintrnc]

He was reported as saying that as soon as the Aga Development at Amaranta valley was completed he would then return to England to "clear his name". Will the project ever be finished? - I doubt it. His brother is now out of prison and has been spotted on a "visit" here to see how well his runaway brother is doing!! Its a scandal from start to finish, but while Greek Cypriot land is freely available, there will always be buyers. As for the land/properties being on a par with other EU countries - I would ask myself why pre '74 Turkish Cypriot or Foreign title deeds are MUCH more expensive than "exchange" land? There has to be a reason - doesn't there?
Tess

[Svetlana]

Hi Tess

I have followed the 'AGA Saga' for many years and even belonged to the AGA Forum - until I was 'asked' to leave! I can well remember the long 'will he/won't he'? chapter when Robb was in Thailand and the transfer of significant funds from his company to Thailand was suspended because of suspicions as to whether he would return. Then the question as to whether he would be allowed back into Cyprus - and on what conditions. It all seems a long time ago, yet I see no real sign of progress, so, if I was an owner I would not be very reassured by more promises.

I agree, some foreigners are taken in by the plauable Exchange Land Kochans - but others choose to be taken in, because it suits them.

Lana

[tessintrnc]

Hi Tess

I have followed the 'AGA Saga' for many years and even belonged to the AGA Forum - until I was 'asked' to leave! I can well remember the long 'will he/won't he'? chapter when Robb was in Thailand and the transfer of significant funds from his company to Thailand was suspended because of suspicions as to whether he would return. Then the question as to whether he would be allowed back into Cyprus - and on what conditions. It all seems a long time ago, yet I see no real sign of progress, so, if I was an owner I would not be very reassured by more promises.

I agree, some foreigners are taken in by the plauable Exchange Land Kochans - but others choose to be taken in, because it suits them.

Lana

Also, his wife here, is not the same wife as the one in Thailand !!! He has a family here and a family there. His Mother lives here too, in a VERY posh house which by the way is completley finished - no Aga saga for mummy!!!!

[pantheman]

Hi Tess

I have followed the 'AGA Saga' for many years and even belonged to the AGA Forum - until I was 'asked' to leave! I can well remember the long 'will he/won't he'? chapter when Robb was in Thailand and the transfer of significant funds from his company to Thailand was suspended because of suspicions as to whether he would return. Then the question as to whether he would be allowed back into Cyprus - and on what conditions. It all seems a long time ago, yet I see no real sign of progress, so, if I was an owner I would not be very reassured by more promises.

I agree, some foreigners are taken in by the plauable Exchange Land Kochans - but others choose to be taken in, because it suits them.

Lana

lana, why did they ask you to leave. Were you being a bad ass girl on that forum

I guess it had something to do with telling them how it really was and they didn't want to hear it huh??

Anyway, we love you here on this board.

All the best

[Viewpoint]

As long as there is no solution property development will continue, it goes on all over the world. The only part the GCs do not understand is that this is relation to isolation, if we have no alternatives means of making money in the economy due to embargoes the money will be invested in what is available and thats land development, casinos, prostitution etc. So really the GCs are yet again cutt off their nones despite their faces.