A businessman who handed more than £180,000 to his Tinder lover while “blinded by attraction” could end up with not recovering a penny despite a judge ordering her to repay him.
Oil industry consultant Marcel Kooter, 57, transferred large sums of money to Manuela Radeva, 37, after they met online in February 2017, believing she was a single investment banker looking for love.
But he later discovered she did not work as a Citibank financier, despite claims on her Tinder profile, and she had married another man just a few weeks before they met.
Mr Kooter, from Woolwich, won a High Court battle in February when Judge John Cavanagh QC ordered Ms Radeva to repay the £182,000 plus interest and also cover the costs of the court fight.
She was told last week the legal bill could top £100,000, but it emerged Ms Radeva has declared herself bankrupt since losing the legal fight.
Mr Kooter’s lawyer, Kamen Shoylev, said they are seeking to overturn the bankruptcy, but admitted: “It is possible that if the bankruptcy is not set aside, she may get away without paying anything.”
The court heard Mr Kooter gave Ms Radeva £182,000 during their nine-month affair to invest for him, believing she was a “capital investment manager”.
