UK 17:28 Monday, 26 October 2026
Breaking news and expert analysis on fast-moving AIM and LSE listed shares
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Comments
Chris Tracey
James Dominic Rupert Holmes the former director of CPS Energy Resources!
Martin Prechner
The same James Holmes that scammed me out of a few thousand pounds in one of his extremely dodgy Merchant Capital funds. That outfit is surely worthy of an SFO investigation. I would pay good money to see you piss all over him.
martin ashworth
James Holmes is a seriously nasty piece of work. He was heavily involved with the Merchant Turnaround Fund and the Merchant Recovery Fund, which both purported to invest shareholders money into unquoted turnaround situations. Both Companies AND Mr Holmes were also linked to the now defunct Pritchard Stockbrokers and the delightful Craig Whyte (he of recent Rangers FC infamy). Over £2m was invested into both of these funds which were unauthorised and unregulated schemes and shareholders never saw their money again. The Administrators of both Funds have also been unable to find where the money actually went, as it does not seem to have been invested into any unquoted companies. The whisper is , that it was used by Craig Whyte to help buy his initial stake in Rangers FC. The SFO are currently investigating both funds, where James Holmes was a Director.
The Wolf
There were 3 bond funds promoted under Merchant Capital which raised over £6m
Merchant Corporate Recovery(Now bust, no funds found even though they raised £2m)
Merchant Turnaround (still active, but no coupons(dividend) paid since 2012)
Merchant Strategic Renewal (still active, but no coupons(dividend) paid since 2012)
James Holmes has been stringing bondholders along for the last few years with jam tomorrow. A letter a while back noted an “investment in a oil & gas company”
The full horror story can be found here
http://boards.fool.co.uk/merchant-corporate-recovery-12585589.aspx?sort=whole#12592593
alcira16247
Tom
Do you think had the agreed ‘investment’ by Worthington Plc into CPS Energy Resources of some £12.5 million gone ahead the bond holders in Mr Holmes enterprises would have been quickly compensated?
After all, Mr Holmes held over 9 million shares in CPS that would have been stock market listed in 2015. ( “Worthington is, inter alia, currently reviewing comparable listed companies in order to agree this discounted valuation prior to investing”.) Who knows what valuation per share would have been…… £1.20…..£2.00….£2.50 …eh?
However, hopefully, Mr Holmes would have done very well out of his investment in CPS allowing him to meet his obligations to creditors.
By the way…. what would the going price be for a company with negative assets in 2013 but an ‘asset’ in 2014 to take up an OPTION to drill for some oil and gas in Nigeria that’s going to cost them $30 million, be these days?
LilKim
Is this Lenny who he refers to?
http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2012/02/15/exclusive-rangers-mystery-deepens-over-whyte-links-to-former-jailbird-associate-150201/
Husbex
Why isn’t this Worthington Group article online, thought you won against Aiden Earley and Doug Ware?
The Winslow Boy
So, what is James Holmes and Khalil Luheshi up to with the Robert Holmes property fund?
Ian Walton
Merchant Strategic Renewal, sister company of Merchant Turnaround currently one of companies in Whyte Rangers fraud case was quietly dissolved in last few days. Couple of million quid of private investors up in smoke, not even a sniff in national press.
Cliff Peat
No accounts of Merchant Strategic Renewal Ltd filed from incorporation (Sept 2010) to dissolution and some (at least) of statutory documents signed by R Spurway – of WRN? No accounts of Merchant Turnaround filed since incorporation in January 2010
BRITTA
Yes Spurway was the Merchant House office boy and the same in WRN. Same crew
Cliff Peat
A lovely word – “heist” (Last line of your post – “in particular relevant experience (e.g successful previous heists an advantage etc)
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/heist
defines it as:
“a crime in which valuable things are taken illegally and often violently from a place or person:”
I guess he was joking:)
Ian Walton
Found this report on Google.Look at Page 5. Wonder what happened to the oil company shareholdings. Sounds very CPS Energy to me http://www.shipleys.com/files/04487961_Limited.pdf
Has the audacity at 1h 13m to lecture others at the scandal of wasting other peoples money. After his bond companies have collapsed with private investors losing millions.
http://www.merton.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/189654