Samantha Mythen
QUESTIONS remain over the disappearance of an expat funeral planning company and the millions of pounds it held, with some former clients choosing legal action.
Marbella lawyer Carlos Haering, representing 20 clients and counting, is filing a class action to the Spanish civil court in the coming weeks. The claim is against Iberian Funeral Plans as well as the administrators responsible for the company.
After Haering receives Nelson’s death certificate from the court, his beneficiaries could also face legal action.
“We have to act in order to get their money back,” he said.
Iberian disappeared overnight with the death of founder and company director Stephen Nelson, leaving clients, who spent more than 4000 pounds each, in total darkness over where their money had gone.
It could take up to 14 months for a judicial resolution to be found, but Haering is confident his client´s have a winning case.
However, he does not know when the clients will get their money back.
Haering said there is no way to know if Iberian itself or those now responsible for it, be they administrators or inheritors, actually have money in their bank accounts to pay back his clients until a judicial resolution is decided.
“But I tell my clients if you do nothing, you get nothing,” he said.
“If we get lucky, they will get their money back. If we are not lucky, we still have the right to get the money back forever from this company or the inheritors.”
Haering started to receive inquiries from worried Iberian clients two months ago. He’d never heard of the funeral plan company before.
He attempted to establish contact with Iberian, contacting different administrators but said all the offices are closed and he has received no reply by emails or phone.
“It’s clear the company is out of the market and they haven’t got the intention of reimbursing the money given by the clients nor providing the bought services,” Haering said.
“Iberian may exist legally, but from my point of view, in reality it no longer seems to be operating and providing the expected services to the clients.”
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