Anglo Capital Partners’ website describes carbon credits as “The ethical alternative investment” and “a phenomenal alternative investment opportunity”. This description is dramatically different to the advice on the UK’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau: “If you buy carbon credits you WILL NOT make any money no matter what the salesman says.”
Anglo-Capital Partners offers the usual boiler room type deal on carbon credits: carbon credits at inflated prices which the company claims will be worth a lot more at some point in the future. Anglo-Capital Partners also offers a variant: an exit strategy, that is a means of selling the carbon credits. The company’s website explains the exit strategy as follows, under the headline “Complete Control of when you exit”:
When making any investment it is important for you to understand your exit methods and the transparency of this investment. We advise all clients to hold on to the Carbon Credits for a minimum of two years as this is likely to reward you with a significant return on your investment.
The same page of the website includes the FSA’s warning about carbon credits as investments.
While this may seem reassuring, the reality seems somewhat less so.
In November 2012, someone calling themselves “John” posted the following on the website Just Answer, which provides advice for people who think they may be victims of fraud:
I also have been contacted by Anglo Capital Partners who say they have an exit strategy to sell 7000 carbon credits which I purchased through another company namely MH-Carbon. They say they can get £13 a credit on 22 march next year (I paid an average of £3.50 around 3 months ago) However I would need to buy credits from them worth £4500 in order to become a client before they can sell my existing credits.
MH-Carbon say they can sell the credits I purchased from them for £7 (in March next year) per credit providing I buy an extra £12000 from them.
The date for exiting is prior to the new tax year when the credits will be valued at £16 as per government legislation.
So Anglo-Capital Partners’ exit strategy is four months in the future and involves handing over a further £4,500. Meanwhile MH Carbon is offering to sell the same carbon credits at almost half the price, if the investor spends another £12,000 on carbon credits.
The FSA warning about carbon credits (reproduced on Anglo-Capital Partners’ website) has the following advice: “If you are concerned about a carbon credit trading scheme you should stop sending money to the firm and individuals involved.”
Anglo-Carbon Partners was established on 10 October 2011 by John Oakes. For most of last year Brett Jolly was also a director. He left the company in December 2012. Jolly is director of more than 270 companies. He hit the headlines in 2007, when he announced the discovery of the world’s biggest diamond – a story that only got better when it turned out to be a hoax. Jolly has not given up his career as a carbon credit salesman though. He is a director of Green Planet International Investment Holdings and the company’s website offers carbon credits “coming soon”, along with land and property investments in Brazil.
Anglo-Carbon Partners’ website gives an office address in London. More than 100 other companies and a strip club share this address. As the website gives no floor, suite or room number, it seems unlikely that anything posted to this address would actually arrive at Anglo-Carbon Partners’ office.
But the company’s website has some great testimonials. From politicians (Barack Obama, George Osborne, Tim Yeo) and newspapers (the New York Times and the Sunday Times). None of them, of course, have anything to say about Anglo-Carbon Partners, but they have all “remarked on the growth of Carbon Credits”. So that’s OK, then.
I have invested a little over GBP 19000 in the White Sands Country Club plot ln Brazil with Green Planet Investment.
I wanted some updates regarding my Investment but phone calls as well as emails are not being answered.
Has anyone a similar experience as I am? Will be grateful for some advice.
@Art – If you think you are the victim of a fraud, please contact Action Fraud either via the website http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or by ringing them up: 0300 123 2040.
There’s a discussion about Green Planet Investment on whocallsme.com.
Apparently Brett Jolly resigned as director of Green Planet Investment in December 2012.
I have invested with GPI for a plot with White sands country club I am beginning to think I should just walk away from it before I make my final payment.Any advice?
Hi, I too bought a plot in White Sands Country Club, and Carbon Credits from a branch of the same company Green Planet Investment and Anglo Capital Partners; both connected, and both equally rip off’s, in spite of all the promises and due diligence all I ever saw for my money at White Sands is four little flags about four inches square stuck in the ground near a rickety fence. This was to show the foundations going down!!!! That was in 2011 in 2012 I bought £5000 worth of carbon credits off Anglo Partners and was given a password to a account with my credits, which now as closed down and I didn’t print out the info on my account so can’t even begin to trace these credits! Where do I go from here?
Brett Jolly, when director of Green Planet investments international PLC
of Soho Sq London, was in league with a dubious company by the name of Geo-Minerals(Holdings)Ltd of Essex who claimed they owned a Dungannon, Northern Ireland quarry mining a nutrient rich mineral stone.
During the month of September 2012 I was encouraged by Greenplanet acting for Geo-Minerals Ltd – to invest £2,000 for 10 tonnes of this product. I was told it was in great demand as a fertiliser, and Geo-Minerals would sell it for me to earn me a profit. When I received the sales contract I noted several inaccuracies – One being that I had “agreed” to buy £10,500 worth of the nutrient mineral AND that I would be responsible for selling it ex works. I then discovered that neither company owned the quarry or it’s product and even more, that neither party had bought as much as one tonne in my or anyone else’s name. As a consequence, I demanded return of my money that I paid to the afore named companies by bank transfer for the 10 tonnes.My demand was made in hard copy letter and by phone to an answer machine.
Despite my demand, the request has fallen on deaf ears and I’m now of the opinion that I am a victim of fraud and that the recent past and present directors of both company are responsible for this,and appropriate action should be taken against these scamsters.
Anglo-Capital Partners Ltd was ordered into liquidation on 23 October 2013. Here’s the Insolvency Service press release:
Carbon credit broker which raised over £1 million is shut down in the public interest
Two companies called Green Planet Investment Limited (one in the UK, one in Gibraltar) were forced into liquidation on 20 November 2013. Here’s the Insolvency Service press release:
Green Planet ‘investment’ companies wound up following Insolvency Service investigation into a land scheme in Brazil
Dear Chris,
Thank you Chris for this information about Green Planet Invstment. I just have read your mail and followed that link about the insolvency.
I guess my 19 000 GBP have gone. I spoke with Brian Hubbard 4 weeks ago and was told that the selling of the White Sand Villas were in good progress. The bitter truth has come to light that it was from beginning on a lie.
I have posted an accurate and legal reply to the allegations on your website, all of my statement are backed by documentary evidence and correspondence at the time! Why have the owners of this website deleted it?
@Brett Jolly – No one has deleted your comment. It’s here in all its glory.
Sorry to say this but everything Brett Jolly has been a part of has turned out to be a scam. As for ‘White Sands Country Club’ sorry to be the bearer of bad news but – http://thepropertysite.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/green-planet-property-investment-scam-shut-down-by-the-high-court/
@James Wrainer – Thanks. I wrote about Green Planet Investment Ltd here (it’s also worth reading Jolly’s response):
Anglo-Capital Partners: Another carbon credit boiler room bites the dust
yes Brett jolly lied to me too, told me work was half way threw on white sands towers in natal, totally lied and stole my money but I will get my day with him
That’s for sure.
I strongly suspect Brett Jolly and his sidekicks are serial conmen. Start investigating Gibraltar as Jolly used a company structure in Gibraltar as one of the many companies associated with Green Planet Investments. His lawyers were Triay and Triay in Irish Town , Gibraltar. He was also at one point based in offices directly opposite the Puente Romano hotel.
has anyone dealt with paul taylor at geo minerals.
yes i have had dealings with paul taylor of geo minerals. i am trying to track him down. if anyone has details of his current location or anyone else involved in this scam contact me and we may be able to help each other out. he seems to have closed his initial website very recently. i have his mobile number which he isnt answering.
contact me at [email protected]
jack
has anyone had dealings with green biomass and energy limited. associated with igc ltd sopwith house essex. i would be keen to gather further information. they dealt in carbon,geo-minerals,rare earths etc. director robert lunt, thomas alfred blackburn. but i believe the overall owner is ronald byrne jones according to company records. other names of interest, noah best, oscar goodman.
contact me at [email protected]
jack
Hi chris, I know brett jolly and his associates, where they work.from and the scams the provide.
I once worked, very briefly in Southern Spain trying to carve a career in investment banking but found out that a number of companies set up.there are using, canary Wharf, the city and gibraltar as bogus bases.
How can I help bring these people to justice
Paul. [email protected]