“On Abu Salem’s instructions, I paid 6,000 euros to get the assets defrozen but the Portuguese lawyer has cheated us. I have now filed a recovery case against him in Lisbon and on my request 80,000 euros from Abu Salem’s money has been left untouched,” Sarogi told The Indian Express. He says the Portuguese lawyer, Luis Belo Morais, was to be paid 2,000 euros for the recovery case but has “usurped” 15,000 euros.

But Luis Belo Morais told The Indian Express a very different story. “I have taken 15,000 euros and possession of the jeep as my fees. I am happy with this. But even to keep this I was being threatened and called a cheat. In fact, after his return, Abu Salem’s friends and relatives have been after his assets like vultures.”

According to Luis Morais, he easily got the Mercedes jeep recovered from court but was subsequently informed by the authorities that its licence plates had expired. “The authorities have told me I cannot use the car till I get an authorization from Abu Salem. But Abu Salem is in jail and I have no contact with him. So the Mercedes is standing in my garage. It is of no use for me,” he says.

While Luis Belo Morais says he is not involved in the legal dispute over Salem’s assets, courts in Lisbon will now have to decide who will get the remaining 80,000 euros. Sarogi is planning a trip to Lisbon shortly to sort out the issue and will also try and recover the Mercedes jeep from Rui Patricio.

... contd.