It was summer 1991. I was given the name and telephone of Mohamed Saghir Khan by some colleagues at Barclays Bank in Paphos as the person to contact to discuss with him the best way to arrange his assets and affairs. I was to advise him how best to plan his estate.
On 11th June 1991 I went to his house. He lived in a magnificent stone built house with a spectacular view overlooking Paphos harbor. He had four servants looking after the house and a housemaid called Chryso. As he was a Muslim I had to take my shoes off before I could walk into the house. It was like a house of an Arabian prince.
After a brief introduction he told me that he was worth $50 million and that he wanted to create a charity for the protection of wildlife, especially birds. At the back of his house he had a sanctuary for birds. It was like a small zoo. I met him again a couple of times once in June and once in July. I prepared for him draft Will and draft trust deed in order to discuss them with him with a view to implementing his wishes.
Mr Khan left Cyprus for Saudi Arabia where he had businesses. The next time that I heard about Mr Khan was the following September when I was told that Mr Khan had died at the age of 62. The news came like a thunder to me as when I last saw him he looked healthy and fit.
I made enquires with his housemaid and she told me of the persons that he had dealings with of which she knew. After my contact with them a brother living in California of Pakistani origin and a sister living in Bahrain appeared claiming to be the closest relative of the deceased, being children of a first cousin of the late Mr Khan. I asked for better evidence of their blood relationship with Mr Khan but they told me that Mr Khan was born in Ballugistan an area which at the time of his death was India and later after a war became part of Pakistan. As a result of the war the records were destroyed.
On the basis of sworn statements from these two persons I was appointed administrator of the estate, not knowing what assets it compromised. After detective work on my part I discovered a lot of cash deposits with banks in Switzerland.
Gradually a conflict arose between the two heirs. The brother was trying to claim that he should have everything, as he was a male and under Muslim Law females would not inherit anything. The sister wished to honor the wishes of the deceased and wanted to know about his philanthropist intentions.
An agreement was signed and deposited at the court but the brother, named Jamal tried his very best to break the agreement. This situation was continuing for over a year and I found myself in the middle like a ball being kicked from one to the other.
As time went by I began to suspect that these two persons may not in fact be related to the deceased. I made enquiries appointing investigators in California having noticed that a name was mentioned on a statement of expenses of Jamal. The name was Mohamed Yunis. The inspectors called Taraviras rather quickly came to the conclusion that Jamal and his sister Dina were in fact not related to the deceased. They were children of a Mr Yiakoup who in fact was a friend of the late Mr. Khan and who had died in the 1970s but not blood related. This information was also confirmed by the Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh and other agencies.
Immediately I informed the court but Jamal and Dina went to a crooked lawyer who insisted that they were relatives and started a campaign to discredit me and destroy me. He wrote to my employers trying to have me sacked. He complained to my professional body claiming that I was not doing my job professionally. He complained to the Attorney General but all his complaints were not taken up.
The crooked lawyer then conspired with the housemaid of the deceased and she with her husband and another relative of hers went to the police and complained that I drafted a false Will under which she would benefit from the estate of the deceased $1.000.000 and that I had asked her to agree to give me half the money. It was a like presenting the right as wrong and the wrong as right. I was summoned to the police headquarters and after I insisted that a graphologist should examine the handwriting on the Will and my handwriting this was done and it became clear that I had nothing to do with the Will that was produced. In fact it turned out that the handwriting was that of one of those three persons.
After further investigation it appeared that Mr Kahn in fact had no relatives at all. He died intestate without heirs. The case in now before the courts of Paphos and the decision that remains to be decided is whether the millions of dollars will go bona vacantia to the Government of Cyprus or the Government of Pakistan. This depends on whether Mr Khan’s domicile at the date of his death was Cypriot or Pakistani. I hope it will go to Cyprus as the deceased wanted to do something charitable to benefit the Cypriot people. Interestingly, after almost 18 years from his death the matter is still before the courts. The lawyers I expect will make a lot of money! I expect it is like winning the lottery for them.
On 11th June 1991 I went to his house. He lived in a magnificent stone built house with a spectacular view overlooking Paphos harbor. He had four servants looking after the house and a housemaid called Chryso. As he was a Muslim I had to take my shoes off before I could walk into the house. It was like a house of an Arabian prince.
After a brief introduction he told me that he was worth $50 million and that he wanted to create a charity for the protection of wildlife, especially birds. At the back of his house he had a sanctuary for birds. It was like a small zoo. I met him again a couple of times once in June and once in July. I prepared for him draft Will and draft trust deed in order to discuss them with him with a view to implementing his wishes.
Mr Khan left Cyprus for Saudi Arabia where he had businesses. The next time that I heard about Mr Khan was the following September when I was told that Mr Khan had died at the age of 62. The news came like a thunder to me as when I last saw him he looked healthy and fit.
I made enquires with his housemaid and she told me of the persons that he had dealings with of which she knew. After my contact with them a brother living in California of Pakistani origin and a sister living in Bahrain appeared claiming to be the closest relative of the deceased, being children of a first cousin of the late Mr Khan. I asked for better evidence of their blood relationship with Mr Khan but they told me that Mr Khan was born in Ballugistan an area which at the time of his death was India and later after a war became part of Pakistan. As a result of the war the records were destroyed.
On the basis of sworn statements from these two persons I was appointed administrator of the estate, not knowing what assets it compromised. After detective work on my part I discovered a lot of cash deposits with banks in Switzerland.
Gradually a conflict arose between the two heirs. The brother was trying to claim that he should have everything, as he was a male and under Muslim Law females would not inherit anything. The sister wished to honor the wishes of the deceased and wanted to know about his philanthropist intentions.
An agreement was signed and deposited at the court but the brother, named Jamal tried his very best to break the agreement. This situation was continuing for over a year and I found myself in the middle like a ball being kicked from one to the other.
As time went by I began to suspect that these two persons may not in fact be related to the deceased. I made enquiries appointing investigators in California having noticed that a name was mentioned on a statement of expenses of Jamal. The name was Mohamed Yunis. The inspectors called Taraviras rather quickly came to the conclusion that Jamal and his sister Dina were in fact not related to the deceased. They were children of a Mr Yiakoup who in fact was a friend of the late Mr. Khan and who had died in the 1970s but not blood related. This information was also confirmed by the Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh and other agencies.
Immediately I informed the court but Jamal and Dina went to a crooked lawyer who insisted that they were relatives and started a campaign to discredit me and destroy me. He wrote to my employers trying to have me sacked. He complained to my professional body claiming that I was not doing my job professionally. He complained to the Attorney General but all his complaints were not taken up.
The crooked lawyer then conspired with the housemaid of the deceased and she with her husband and another relative of hers went to the police and complained that I drafted a false Will under which she would benefit from the estate of the deceased $1.000.000 and that I had asked her to agree to give me half the money. It was a like presenting the right as wrong and the wrong as right. I was summoned to the police headquarters and after I insisted that a graphologist should examine the handwriting on the Will and my handwriting this was done and it became clear that I had nothing to do with the Will that was produced. In fact it turned out that the handwriting was that of one of those three persons.
After further investigation it appeared that Mr Kahn in fact had no relatives at all. He died intestate without heirs. The case in now before the courts of Paphos and the decision that remains to be decided is whether the millions of dollars will go bona vacantia to the Government of Cyprus or the Government of Pakistan. This depends on whether Mr Khan’s domicile at the date of his death was Cypriot or Pakistani. I hope it will go to Cyprus as the deceased wanted to do something charitable to benefit the Cypriot people. Interestingly, after almost 18 years from his death the matter is still before the courts. The lawyers I expect will make a lot of money! I expect it is like winning the lottery for them.
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