Wealthy landlord has assets frozen

Samrai’s lawyer confirmed the businessman’s ‘difficult’ position during a hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court into a separate civil case.

Solicitor Kenneth Carruthers said: “Mr Samrai is currently subject to a criminal complaint and an order under the Proceeds of Crime Act has been obtained.

“The effect has been to freeze his property assets and bank accounts.” Kilmacolm-based Samrai, 40, is facing criminal charges involving allegations of benefit and cheque fraud said to total tens of thousands of pounds.

He is also part of a mammoth legal challenge with several others to prevent Inverclyde Council demolishing the privately owned Clune Park housing estate in Port Glasgow.

Lawyer Mr Carruthers said that the assets freeze imposed on Samrai had prevented him from lodging deposits with the court of up to £2,225 per flat in order to fight that case.

Seeking a time extension, the solicitor stated: “This has clearly made life difficult in terms of dealing with this type of expenditure.” The court heard that Samrai has been given leave by the Crown Office to ‘dispose’ of two properties and lodge funds with a Greenock lawyer in order to continue operating.

However, despite realising £22,000 from the sale of a flat in Stevenston, Ayrshire, he has not used any of that cash for the Clune Park matter, the court was told.

Meanwhile, a £69,000 house owned by Samrai in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, remains on the market.

Mr Carruthers, of Edinburgh-based legal firm Morton Fraser, said: “Upon disposal of this asset, Mr Samrai would seek to pay his deposits from that sum.” Jonathan Barne QC, representing the council, objected: “This is the first that I’ve heard of these discussions with the Crown Office.

“The deposits have been outstanding for some considerable time.

“It is not satisfactory to make submissions without proper vouching for them.” Mr Barne pointed out that four of Samrai’s Clune Park properties were considered to be so rundown that closing orders were placed on them in 2011.

He declared: “This gives an indication of how this part of his portfolio of properties is treated by Mr Samrai.” The court was told that Samrai owed £52,662.81 in council tax arrears for six Clune Park flats in September last year.

Mr Carruthers said that this had since been reduced to a debt of £1,200.

But Sheriff Derek Hamilton, inset, said: “The fact that there was some £52,000 outstanding raises concerns as to how this individual treats his properties and the council.” The Telegraph told in March how Samrai stands accused of having documents falsified in order to accumulate cash for several ‘uninhabitable’ Clune Park properties.

He is also charged with an alleged attempted fraud involving a house in the Port’s Slaemuir Avenue that he is said to have neither owned or managed. Prosecutors say that Samrai submitted leases and other documentation to Inverclyde Council pretending that he had tenants residing in his Clune Park flats.

It is claimed that he also paid people to sign official papers stating that they were living in the properties so that he could claim benefit payments on their behalf directly from the local authority. The allegations cover a period of time spanning more than five years between 28 February 2009 and 19 May 2014.

The amount of money which is alleged to have been obtained by fraud totals £25,713.

Sheriff Hamilton allowed Samrai time to produce further information regarding his efforts to pay his civil case deposits.

He also called for details of the ‘scheme of distribution’ for the £22,000 realised from the Stevenston property.

The sheriff asked: “Why weren’t the deposits paid out of that and what was it spent on?” He told lawyer Mr Carruthers: “I would like your client produce information that the Crown Office has been told of his request to release the (Carstairs) asset for paying deposits and that the deposits are to come out of the proceeds of the sale.” The matter is due to call again on 29 May.