Scots who lost up to £40,000 after signing up for dream homes in Bulgaria are furious a police inquiry into the matter has stalled.
I exposed the rip-off more than 10 years ago after victims of Foreign Property Investment complained there was no sign of their flats in the Black Sea resort of Sunny Beach.
Strathclyde Police and then Police Scotland investigated but contacted complainants in November saying there were no other viable lines of inquiry.
Ian Dunlop, 72, who is £37,000 out of pocket, said: “It makes me angry. There is a huge dent in my savings and my story is just the tip of the iceberg. This flat was to be a nest egg for my wife Sarah and I. But she passed away in April after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and it affected her badly that we never got the keys.”
I told in 2008 how five readers had paid deposits of up to £12,000 each to the firm, run by brothers James and Barry Donald, in Glasgow’s Queenslie. Like Ian, of Ayr, the purchasers were assured their one-bed flats would be ready within a year.
But two years down the line the block was still not finished.
Dad-of-two Ian said: “My wife and I did go out to Bulgaria at the time and were shown round what we believed to be our flat.
“It was a couple of months away from completion so we were happy to pay the balance.”
Another reader, Edward Taylor, paid more than £40,000 by cheque for his flat. The admin boss, of Clarkston, Glasgow, even signed up for a furniture package.
He said: “I have proof of what I paid but have still not received the title deeds or a refund.
“The police say the Donalds cannot be traced.”
Police said: “We received complaints in connection with a financial fraud.
“Following investigations, there was insufficient evidence to take the case forward.”
