Kingston businessman Keith Wishart yesterday got an order in the Supreme Court freezing the assets of the recently shut down cambio dealer Money Express Financial Services Ltd and investor Ricardo 'Ricky' Azan.
The assets have been frozen to allow Wishart to retrieve US$396,000 (J$28.14 million) which he claims is owed to him.
Justice Marjorie Cole-Smith granted the order after hearing submissions from attorney-at-law Jacqueline Wilcott, of the law firm Knight, Junor and Samuels.
Other defendants
The other defendants against whom the freeze order has been made are directors Karen Collings and Richard Azan.
Richard Azan is also the former Member of Parliament for North West Clarendon and now the People's National Party's candidate for the constituency.
Yesterday, he told The Gleaner that he resigned from the board of directors of Money Express in July of last year, before the collapse of the company. The Gleaner was not able to contact Ricardo Azan or Karen Collings.
The defendants have been restrained from removing their assets from Jamaica and from dealing with their assets.
The restraining order remains in force until the matter comes back before the court on May 15.
Wishart said in court documents that after making contact with Ricardo Azan in October 2007, an agreement was made for him to deposit Jamaican money at the cambio in order for them to buy US dollars for him.
Not an investor
He said he did not invest in the cambio and that his business with the cambio was the buying of US dollars in order to pay his suppliers and business partners overseas.
Wishart further said, in November last year he requested a cheque for US$30,000 (J$2.13 million) to be made to one of his suppliers overseas but the cheque was returned a week later.
Wishart said he made enquiries as to why the cheque was returned and was told that an overseas financial company was closed and its assets frozen due to mismanagement.
Three other suits are pending in the Supreme Court in which investors have sued Money Express to recover more than $17 million.
