
Jim Sharkey & Helen Mulcahy analyse a raft of recent fraud cases
Clutterbuck and Paton v Al Amoudi [2014] EWHC 383 (Ch) involved a defendant who became known in the British press as “the Vamp in the veil”. A couple sued Miss Al Amoudi, claiming that:
- they had transferred almost £3m to her in relation to the purchase of properties and an additional sum of almost £1m for refurbishment costs in relation to other properties; and
- a further six properties had been transferred to Al Amoudi at an undervalue.
In relation to both claims, the couple said this was done as part of a number of joint ventures with Al Amoudi and that they would never have entered into these joint ventures, paid over the money and transferred the properties but for certain fraudulent misrepresentations allegedly made by Al Amoudi. They said she falsely claimed to be a Saudi princess, related to the Saudi royal family by marriage, extremely rich and that she had undertaken to arrange £46m of Sharia financing.
Asplin J concluded that many