Terry Serepisos� WGA middleman talks
Terry Serepisos has engaged the services of a former Auckland banker with an office in Luxembourg and connections to a mysterious Russian businessman to help save his businesses from financial ruin.
Mr Serepisos, facing bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings on Monday, has employed Daniel John William Hunt in the hope of landing a nine-figure loan from Western Gulf Advisory to bail out his Century City empire.
Mr Serepisos did not return calls this week but a source within the Serepisos camp told the National Business Review the developer was �very confident� of his promised money coming through before Monday�s court hearings.
But his hopes could be in vain given newspaper reports from Australia on Wednesday, following NBR�s lead, carrying critical stories of WGA�s lending activity in Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald said half-a-dozen borrowers in Australia had sent an accumulated $40 million in fees abroad for loans that never arrived. And The Australian reported PR firm Jackson Wells severed its relationship with WGA in August after it was not satisfied the firm had the capacity to provide funds to desperate borrowers.
Mr Hunt, globetrotter
NBR understands that back in Wellington Mr Hunt has been working for more than four months for Mr Serepisos undertaking �due diligence� as part of the WGA deal.
�I have no relationship with Western Gulf, I have a relationship with Mr Serepisos. I was engaged by [him] to help him with issues that he�s got,� Mr Hunt told NBR.
Mr Hunt, 34, attended Dannevirke High School and graduated from Massey University in 2002 with a bachelor of applied science in rural valuation and management.
He worked at Westpac from 2000 until 2006 when he took up a position with Bank of New Zealand.
He now runs Westpark Global, a financial firm claiming to operate out of �Luxembourg, Moscow and Auckland.� He confirmed he travelled with Mr Serepisos to Zurich in February where WGA loan forms were signed.
He said he was �confident� the deal would go through: �I�ve got no reason to believe it won�t go through.�
He was reluctant to comment further but his estranged wife and an accountant familiar with his business partners paint a picture of a man hungry for financial success who has mixed with a mysterious Russian.
Ex-wife unloads
Anna Hunt of Hawke�s Bay said she separated from her husband about 12 months ago, and he had left the country in early 2010. He returned in October bearing a present for their son � a Wellington Phoenix shirt and shorts. This week he arrived with the gift of a Phoenix scarf.
Ms Hunt did not know of Mr Hunt�s connection to Western Gulf Advisory but found it amusing to be called by NBR: �The irony of it all [this] is that it is Daniel�s dream to appear in the NBR,� she said. �Only he wanted to be on the rich list!�
The Russian connection
After leaving BNZ, and before starting Westpark Global, Mr Hunt worked for Moscow-based businessman Adyl Khidirbekov and his Emerald group of companies. Several of these ventures, with Mr Hunt as a director, went sour. Emerald Hotels Gisbourne and Emerald Farming (2002) were liquidated last year.
Companies Office records show Mr Hunt replaced accountant Kevin Whitley as a trustee for Mr Khidirbekov. Mr Whitley told NBR he ended his association with the Russian over concerns about where Mr Khidirbekov�s funds were coming from.
Mr Whitley said he was sent to the UK in late 2005 to conclude a property joint venture deal with funds provided by Mr Khidirbekov.
Their partner in the UK, however, had other ideas: �He basically absconded with the money, right from the day it hit the bank accounts,� Mr Whitley said.
Money not chased
Mr Whitley talked to an English law firm and prepared a legal fight to regain the funds for Mr Khidirbekov.
�I fully expected them to take action against this guy, which is what any sane person would have done, because we�re talking about a substantial amount of money. It was running to several million pounds,� he said.
�You would expect anyone who had the right of law on their side to do anything to recover it. They did nothing. On the strength of that I decided it was far better for me not to be associated with these guys.�
Mr Hunt said the Russian and Mr Whitley were at loggerheads: �There was a shareholder dispute � that�s all I can comment on.�
Mr Hunt said Mr Whitley�s story of lost money in the UK was �laughable� as Mr Khidirbekov was a �well-known party in Russia.�
Mr Khidirbekov could not be reached for comment and despite claiming to a New Zealand newspaper that he founded a newspaper with a circulation of 300,000, the only record of him in international media clippings relates to his domestic activities with Emerald.
Mr Hunt said the lack of media stories about Khidirbekov was due to NBR failing to speak the local language: �How well can you read Russian my friend?�
..Nix could be a feeder club for Racing Santander....
