The £7 million (?) (US$12m) swindle, engineered

Land Registry records indicate that on 11 June 1997 the British Petroleum Pension Fund disposed of the freehold to Jefferson House Limited. Ms Hathaway, MRICS, Martin Russell Jones, 'managing' agents for the block, announced the disposal in a letter dated 27 March 1997 stating "...they have taken legal advice and they do consider that as you are not the direct leaseholders from the freeholds and there is an intermediate being Steel Services Limited, they do not have to offer the property to you on the basis of the right of first refusal"

A Section 2 Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 request to Ms Hathaway led to a 23 January 2002 reply from Saxon Law , surveyors & development consultants, London W1J 6NE identifying Jefferson House Limited as "our client" and stating that Section 2 of the 1985 Act only applies to the "immediate landlord" i.e. headlessor.

At 23 April 2004, the reply I received from the British Virgin Islands Authorities states that Jefferson House Limited was registered with them on 21 April 1997, giving its International Business Company as 227 649. (As can be seen from the 23 April 2004 reply, 7 months previously, Steel Services Limited had also been registered in the British Virgin Islands ( BVI registration ).

There are three different titles for Jefferson House on the Land Registry: # 69437 ( 9 Basil St ), # 69051 (11 and 13 Basil St ), # 101949 ( 7 Basil St ).

( PDF of above diagram - at February 2006)

At least until 26 April 2004, all three titles included "Note 3: Lessee's title NGL 373 333" i.e. Steel Services.

However, on the Land Registry records at 22 February 2006, title NGL 373 333 had disappeared from all three. Instead, each of the three titles, # 69437 ( 9 Basil St ), # 69051 (11 and 13 Basil St ), # 101949 ( 7 Basil St ) now state:

"Lessee's Title" BGL 56 642 with "Date of lease and term" as "15 December 2005, from 29 September 1979 to 1 October 2202"

This title is for Lavagna Enterprises Limited . The registration date was 31 January 2006 .

As to Pettman Smith solicitors nominated on the Land Registry records as acting solicitors for Jefferson House Ltd (e.g. 26 March 2002 and 26 April 2004 ), the firm was replaced by Eversheds solicitors.

Compare the above with the following:

(1) A Central London county court claim filed by Portner and Jaskel on behalf of 'Steel Services' against the Elderly Resident on 26 February 2002 identified Steel Services as the "freehold owner"

(2) Page 9 - point 16.07 of the 17 June 2003 LVT report, ref: LVT/SC/007/120/02 (ref #992 on the LVT database) which reports the statement from Michael Jones Associates: "Steel Services Ltd, who is understood to have recently acquired the freehold"

(3) A letter from Mr Barrie Martin, FRICS, Martin Russell Jones, dated 5 October 2004 , specifically identifies Steel Services as "the freeholder" as he wrote: "We have been informed by the solicitors acting for the freeholders of the above, Steel Services Limited.."

(4) As indicated by Mr Barrie Martin, evidently, Cawdery Kaye Fireman & Taylor , the solicitors acting for Steel Services, are also of the opinion that Steel Services is the "freeholder"

(5) The Land Registry records for Steel Services - from the time it was registered on 22 November 1996 have consistently defined Steel Services as the 'leasehold' owner (e.g. at 10 October 2001, 26 April 2004 and 22 February 2006).

As it is clear that Mr Andrew Ladsky is the person behind Steel Services (Advisors to Jefferson House ; Directorships ; Owners identity) (and the other 'paper companies' - Headlessors), I hold the view that he is also behind Jefferson House Limited.