Amd Commo Exagr Discussion Threads

[tarvold] 20/11/2009 12:39

Consensus seems to be that the RA members will have signed a confidentially clause. LGB has not even disclosed the amount paid out in total or supplied the accounts in the last update on the company website.
Not much chance of finding out unless you know a disgruntled RA member?

[loverat] 15/11/2009 17:30

Evening

Are there any London Asia Capital shareholders who read here who contacted Allnutt either by e-mail or phone between the following dates. I would imagine that there would have been one or two who did considering what was going on at the time and would most likely remember.

Between:

His appointment as CEO to LDC 9/4/08

and the 8/6/08.

There are some signs that people are taking an interest in this story and any help with this specifically might be a big help.

[loverat] 14/11/2009 20:31

Must say, I am in a quandry too.

I was hoping the Investors Support Fund might help me with my little problem. Unfortunately the breaking news today is that they have been STRUCK OFF AND DISSOLVED.

[loverat] 14/11/2009 19:35

sipp on the LDC thread is in quite a quandry - and quite understandly so. Who can he trust?

sipp_2005 - 14 Nov'09 - 18:14 - 9043 of 9045

Doug

I am in a quandry

No I don't want Littlewood et al to benefit but, I do want the board to stand down

Littlewood et al did what they did under the watchful eye of many of the current players and IMHO should be held accountable. Our Chairman wrote a stunning piece in an annual report about the dangers of fraud in China and that we were insulated against this because of our skills and people.

To be unable to identify your investments, not to have control of your bank accounts, not to realise that deals had never been completed and to allow large payments to leave the company and payments that were known about not to be received suggests a lack of control that many would consider to be plain evidence that the board and directors weren't doing the jobs they were supposed to.

Sack them and sue them. They have done a lot to try and recover things but they let it go down the pan in the first place.

[loverat] 14/11/2009 10:53

Microsoft Equities - Holmes apparently on the board.....


25 September 2009

Microcap Equities plc

("Microcap" or the "Company")

Interim results

for the six month period ended 30 June 2009

Chairman's statement

I am pleased to report the results for the six months ended 30 June 2009.

During the period, the Company incurred a loss before and after taxation of GBP
23,471, compared to GBP144,366 for the year ended 31 December 2008. The loss is
principally attributable to legal and professional fees and subscriptions paid.
Since July 2008, the Company has deferred all directors' remuneration and rent.

The board has been in negotiation with a potential subscriber for new shares
for several months and is hopeful that the negotiation will be successful. No
guarantee may be given, however, that such will be the case. If successful,
shareholders will be asked to approve the subscription for new shares at a
general meeting. If this transaction does not proceed, the Company, having
almost exhausted its cash resources, will have to seek an alternative source of
funds immediately or cease trading. A further announcement will be made
shortly.

N Greenstone
Chairman
25 September 2009


And the only thread on ADVFN..........


Responsible Lad is at Microcap Equities


Say no more!!!

[loverat] 14/11/2009 09:29

And this is a comment posted on the MHG board about Mr Holmes's business partner in HOL and MHG - Mr Eberhardt.


"Mr Eberhardt Chairman of Merchant House Group took up positions as Director or Secretary in no less than 76 different Companies on the same day on 29/08/1997 and a further 54 Positions as Director or Company Secretary on 14/04/1998
(nice work if you can get it). A word of warning for investors dashing to buy shares ..... 88 of those companies have since been dissolved a number of the remainder are in LIQUIDATION as we speak".



Dear oh dear - if true, a familiar story of the way these guys run their companies. I have started a thread listing directors to avoid. I will be updating the thread soon and there will be a nice long list.

[loverat] 14/11/2009 09:19

And his CV from another AIM company (Merchant House Group website) he runs with Martin Eberhardt, proudly setting out his achievement at EPE (later COMG)



James Holmes

Interim Chief Executive

James Holmes is Chairman and formerly Chief Executive (2003-2007) of Europasia Education Plc whose board implemented a new strategy that restored profit. ( 2002: 2.0m GBP loss, 2006: 1.1m GBP profit).The Company is a China focused investment business initially investing in education, becoming the largest UK corporate investor in Chinese tertiary education and in 2004 running the largest non government training programme in the world. It is now focusing on the commodities, energy and environment sectors in China. He was appointed Chairman of Merchant Capital in October 2007 in order to implement a revised strategy for the business. In addition, James has been Principal of Management International School of Business since 1999, at the time the youngest Business School Principal in the country. The School works with a number of UK and US universities to deliver specialist work based programmes to the emerging central European and Far East markets.

James is Chairman and one of the founders of AIM listed Hollywood Media Services Plc, a TV Location facilities and catering company in the UK. He is a Director of AIM listed Microcap Equities Plc and of a number of private companies.

James is a Director of the Company and chairs the Remunerations sub committee.





Looks like Principal Holmes needs to get someone to update his website.

[loverat] 14/11/2009 09:14

And check out the lastest RNS for Hollywood Media - one of James Holmes's other companies.....

RNS Number : 4479C
Hollywood Media Services plc
13 November 2009


13 November 2009

Hollywood Media Service Plc
("HMS" or the "Company")

Resignation of Nomad

The Company announces that Dowgate Capital Adviser Limited ("Dowgate") has
resigned as its Nominated Adviser as of today's date, having previously given
notice. Trading in the Company's shares has already been suspended pending the
publications of the report and accounts for the 12 months to 31 December 2008
and the interim report to 30 June 2009. If the Company fails to appoint a
replacement for Dowgate within one month then the admission of its shares on AIM will be cancelled.

The Company is currently in discussion with a potential Nomad and expects to
make an announcement in due course, together with the publications of the report and accounts for the 12 months to 31 December 2008 and the interim report to 30 June 2009.

[loverat] 14/11/2009 06:00

Anomalous - perhaps you would be kind enough to put this on your COMG website for the attention of the directors.

A Message From Loverat

I think I can speak for at least some shareholders in saying that they are most disappointed with the message from The Chief Executive Officer'. It talks of the supposed successes of the past and but then seems to suggest that Victor Ng and others were responsible for the delisting because they implemented the change in strategy. Are you trying to wash your hands of any responsibility?

What shareholders are concerned about is that the education business which was profitable was sold to James Holmes and George Allnutt for £70K GBP. BEC was purchased for many times this price a few years earlier and in the absence of an explanation for all this, the figures just don't stack up. Why was this message only put out a few months ago when the company delisted 2 years ago? How are the businesses that were sold to you (at a price which was fair and reasonable according to Simon Littlewood) doing since you purchased them? And the change in strategy aside, why did the company get into difficulties within just months after the change in focus?

How are the negotiations going and when are shareholders going to receive an update?

You have to understand why shareholders are very dubious about past practices when considering the revelations regarding LDC and the questionable loans and illegal transactions. Many of the directors were on both boards.

This business and CEG disappeared (and others) without any explanation under your watch and then some of you proceeded to continue ramping LDC on this site and arguing with posters who expressed concerns right up to the period of suspension.

Are you going to make a break with the past and open up the company to scrutiny and transparency? You may think all this is something trivial that you can just walk away from like many other AIM directors who have no concern for their shareholders. Well, considering that COMG and LDC were companies both promoted by Anomalous (the shareholder's champion) and Allnutt - both directors of a charity set up to protect investors, I am afraid we expect higher standards of behaviour.

So, the first thing you can do is post another message to shareholders and this time explain what you are going to do to compensate them. And we are not talking one baggers, two baggers or 50 baggers. Shareholders just want their dues.


JUSTICE IS NOT JUST REQUIRED - IT MUST BE SEEN TO BE DONE

[loverat] 14/11/2009 05:25

I think shareholders are due another update. Not been much in the way of updates except some obscure website registered to Anomalous that no one noticed.

And I reckon this message was only posted on the internet because shareholders started making noises.

This is not acceptable - 'if these negotiations are successful directors will consult with shareholders' - directors should consult with shareholders in any event.

A Message From The Chief Executive Officer

We are writing to update shareholders on progress at Commodity Growth plc, formerly Europasia Education plc (EPE). You will recall that the current board were appointed in 2003 following a succession of losses in the company including losses in 2002 of £2.2m. The board implemented a new strategy, raising in excess of £1.5m from investors in a series of funding rounds and re positioning the company as a pioneering education investment company focused on the fast growing Chinese market where the company opened a representative office. The company purchased 100% of Management International, a vocational and business training organisation and English 2000 a leading English language school. In addition, we established "Hello English" as a joint venture which went on to develop radio based courses in China which attracted an estimated four million participants, the largest non governmental training programme in the world. These successes led to Consultancy work for the Group including with the BBC to develop English language courses and with a number of Chinese Colleges.

After careful research, the company made two very important strategic investments. the first was in the Shandong International Institute for Translation which was purchased by Europasia Beijing and in which EPE had a 15% stake having invested £156,000 in cash and a much larger amount in shares. EPE Beijing was subsequently listed on PLUS market in London with a new ultimate holding company, China Education Group plc. Our investment at the time and subsequently helped to develop a second campus of 22,000 square metres of lecture rooms, libraries and student accommodation, boosting student numbers by over 3,000. The value of our investment, reflected in the PLUS listed shares rose by 160% at their height.

Building on this success, the company then invested to take a 10% stake in the Dalian Business Institute. As with the previous investment, the College was assisted in the development of new courses, marketing strategies and accounting systems and with a listing onto PLUS. The number of students rose by over 1.000. EPE increased its stake by another 5%. At its height, this investment produced a return in the form of PLUS shares of 109% for EPE

The loss in EPE of £2.2m in 2002 was turned into an audited profit of £1.1m for the financial year 2006.

Despite these achievements, the company was not able to translate the success into a rising share price. A consolidation, press coverage and private client broker tours failed to address this. The company was unable to raise additional sums needed for the next identified investments and so a decision was taken to alter the focus in order to continue growth. Victor Ng, an EPE Director devised the new strategy. The company would remain a China focused investment business but would concentrate on commodities. A new management team of four was recruited to run the business in China. Each of the four had the background, experience and contacts in the industry needed for the strategy. Benson Day was recruited as Chief Executive Officer, the London office was closed and a new office opened in Singapore where Benson Day was based. James Holmes, stepping down as CEO, joined George Allnutt as a non executive Director. The new management team announced the first investments had been identified and due diligence was underway. In the course of the following months the company moved back from profit to loss and the quote on AIM was ended. These events led to the resignation of the management team, then the new CEO and then Victor Ng.

These events have left the company in a difficult position. There is no longer an office or administrative base and there are now significant accrued interest payments due to loan note holders which will make a re-admission to the market and a fundraising difficult. The non executive directors have had to temporarily reassume executive functions in order to manage the portfolio and negotiate with the loan note holders. If these negotiations are successful, the directors plan to consult with shareholders on ways to develop the business and restore value to shareholders.

James Holmes

Chief Executive Officer

20 July 2009

[loverat] 14/11/2009 04:58

I see the company which was intended to set up a charity run by the 'distinguished director' George Allnutt - and Nigel Smith has disappeared.

05835241

INVESTORS' SUPPORT FUND LIMITED

STRUCK OFF AND DISSOLVED

[loverat] 12/11/2009 20:30

And not long now I reckon the offenders are in for some more shocks and surprises.

Let's wait and see what happens next.

[loverat] 11/11/2009 19:07

Not too sure all that receivership stuff looks too impressive but probably not relevant here. Still, I feel I have come across him before - will check when I have some more time.

Anyway - what is amazing about this thread is the viewer figures. O.K - I've done some comparisions with other threads with the same number of posts per day. (around five to six).

Now on those threads you may have around 15-20 page views if you are lucky - especially if the company has long stopped trading like this.

Here there is an average of around 80 - 100 a day. Some days around 30 if there are no posts and other days can be 200. I see Anomalous is in my top five return visitors - he must be a very busy man with all his court cases but he still checks in at least once a day.

[loverat] 11/11/2009 05:46

Any readers through their investments come across Barry Gold?

Just taking a look back and see he was a director of LDC before Littlewood. Interestingly it looks as if there was a Barry Gold on the board of Room Service (RSV) or later named AZH Azure.

[loverat] 09/11/2009 05:34

Anomalous - 20 Aug'05 - 23:53 - 721 of 5408
>English Bigblls

As I have said before and will say again, I only use one pseudonym on ADVFN. I see no reason to use multiple identities, such as that well known schizo-phrenic Agincourt does. I don't have to construct other people to agree with my analysis and reasoning. Other people agree because the facts stand for themselves.
.•

[loverat] 08/11/2009 19:56

Hope my reply was O.K there FFP.

Well, this should sum up today.

[ffp] 07/11/2009 17:41

Evening ratty, you seem to be conversing with yourself, can I be of any assistance?

[loverat] 07/11/2009 15:58

"Even after the AGM on the 20 October, these entrepreneurs tried to acquire their voting rights, so that an EGM could be called"

I am sorry to say but your entrepeneurs are a load of old rubbish.