“I need you to help us,” he said right at the start of the meeting. “We bought the land about 15 years ago and Moshe managed the company for us and took care of everything required. Over time we began hearing in the community that Moshe had gotten into trouble and that there were problems with the lands he bought and the companies he managed.
When we turned to him he sent us to talk to David, the accountant who, according to him, handled the companies on his behalf. David reassured us and said everything was fine with our company.”
“Good,” I said.
“But a few days ago David's son called me and told me that his father had passed away a few months ago and that apparently our company had been closed. He didn't know how to tell me why.”
I asked to see the documents he had, and immediately photographed them and sent them to the local office so they could check the status of the company and the status of the land.
The next day when I received the answers my eyes darkened. The company exists and is active (although a number of actions at the local companies registry will be required to keep it active), but the land has not been in the company's name for several years. A deeper check revealed that there had been a legal proceeding under which the land was sold to a third party.
Imagine the client's surprise.
We received the green light to deepen the check, although I explained to the client that the chances of returning the land to the company's ownership were slim.
The deeper check revealed that a company related to Moshe had filed a debt claim against the company (of which Moshe was the administrator and a shareholder), the company did not defend itself, and the court ruled against it and ordered the sale of the property owned by the company, the land, and payment of the debt.
The client was no longer surprised at this stage. He understood that he had been stung. He understood that he had relied on a third party and had not been involved in the investment, had not taken an interest and had not checked over the years what was happening with his investment, and now it had gone down the drain.
About a month after the meeting I called the client and invited him to a meeting.
“Your story didn't leave me. I couldn't just give up,” I said. “We kept digging at our own expense. We turned to the enforcement officer and examined the file. It turns out the plot was sold at a fairly reasonable price and 20,000 euros belonging to the company remain with the enforcement officer, who was waiting for someone to come and claim them. I know it's not much, but it's something nonetheless.”
“I can't believe it,” he said. “In my life I've never come across anything like this. I don't know how to thank you. It's not the money, it's the determination, the caring, the thought. Thank you.”
Stories are based on real situations, with identifying details changed. Not legal advice.
Translated from the Hebrew original. עברית