“I’m no lawyer’ admits Scot who took on multi-million dollar law suits in Thailand

A Scot who claimed he was both a barrister and a Scottish advocate admitted in court today that he was no lawyer, but he knew a lot about law.


Brian Goudie, 47, formerly Brian Goldie, told a court on the holiday island of Koh Samui that he had studied law in the United Kingdom, but had not finished his studies.

He said his law firm Alba Laws no longer traded.

Goudie was questioned about his legal qualifications after he appeared to be playing the part of a lawyer in court. When his real lawyer said he was not free for a suggested date for the adjournment of a case Goudie said the courts should not worry as he could represent the client.  “No you won’t”, said the judge.

The hearing was held to listen to the reasons why neither David Hanks, 65, from Girvan, Scotland, but more recently a brothel owner from Keysborough, Melbourne, or his lawyer turned up Tuesday to press their case against British journalist Andrew Drummond.

David Hanks – Lawyer – Brian Goudie on Samui. ‘Train was late. Missed the ferry’.

Goudie, who was seen on the court premises with Hanks, who is complaining about a court report in which he was described as ‘mafia’ blamed it on the lawyer who came late. The lawyer Nattawat Damnaphoen blamed it on the late arrival of his train from Bangkok to Surat Thani.

But he said he was in the court at 11.30 am.

This appeared to conflict with other versions given by the two witnesses and the judge may himself  suspect – as he held the case up until midday.

Goudie’s admission that he is not a lawyer seems to contradict the CV he gave British estate agent John Jepson, in which he also claimed to be an officer in Britain’s Royal Marines.

In fact there is no such person as Brian Goudie, born in Falkirk Infirmary, on October 3 1967 as stated in his passport.

But there is a Brian Goldie who has been identified as the same person who was not only was refused permission to stay in Australia because he was ‘not a person of good character’, but was subsequently jailed on three counts of two years each for stealing from his employers – an Australian mining conglomerate.

Goldie changed his name to Goudie but sometimes he just forgets who he is; like when he signed this bill for a million baht to a retired British magistrate to whom he volunteered his services after the magistrate lost 200 million baht in a local business deal.

Below is the CV Briton John Jepson testified that Goudie gave to him when he employed his services. Goudie is on bail of 100,000 baht and has surrendered his passport in the case brought by Mr. Jepson, a real estate agent on Koh Samui.

“My career has spanned a diverse range of projects on near every major continent, concentrating mainly on project work on major construction projects, and development of mining and mining related projects, as well as examining potential for upstream and downstream integration.
My most recent experience is primarily in the base and precious metals sector, focussed mainly on the development of small to medium mining operations in South East Asia. This work has involved exploring the potential for joint ventures, trade partnerships or capital investment.
With over a decade of working on mining and mining related projects, as well as product sales and marketing I have gained a solid knowledge base which now permits me to work on complex development projects at the most senior levels.
My career has spanned projects with development budgets from USD 10 million to USD 1.6 billion, ranging from projects for the extraction of Alluvial Copper and Gold deposits, Nickel and Cobalt deposits and Iron Ore deposits, and military related projects.
I have worked on mining and related projects at all stages of development and operation, from feasibility and financing, to pre-construction, construction and production, in addition to being exposed to the end sale of finished and semi-finished products.
In addition to my mining experience, I have several years experience of product development with a US based start up company involved in the defence industry. The primary focus of this company involved the development and patenting of proprietary technology for the removal of firing debris from grooved gun barrels.
I continue to be involved in the product development, product testing and in the establishment of a sales and marketing framework. One of the range of products was recently given US Government Federal Procurement Approval.
Most recently, I have been involved in assisting companies, primarily in Thailand, seeking international investment partners, and thus have been exposed to the legal, regulatory and compliance issues facing foreign investors, including foreign ownership restrictions and interfacing with the Thai Board of Investment (BOI).

On the opposite side, I have a strong appreciation of the regulatory barriers and  issues faced by Thai producers and manufacturers imposed by government regulations, as well as assisting in implementing quality controls mechanisms and procedures to ensure product compliance with international standards.


EDUCATION


Year                             Award                                      Academic Institution


1985-1990        Bachelor of Commerce                              University of Edinburgh


1985-1990        Bachelor of Laws with Honours                University of Edinburgh


1994                 Master of Business Administration            Herriot Watt International School of Management

No degree, er, but we knew that anyway just from listening to him

TECHNICAL SKILLS AND EXPERTISE


Software Knowledge:


§         Microsoft Excel


§         Microsoft Word


§         MINCOM (Integrated Mining and Logistics Software)


§         JD Edwards (Mine Management and Equipment Management Integrated Software, integrated to MINCOM)


§         TST and GIS (ore body management and interpretation software)


Foreign Languages:


§         Thai (working knowledge)


§         French (working knowledge)


Core Competencies:


§         Analysis of complex development projects to establish feasibility


§         Preparation of documentation for investment partners


§         Advising on compliance with international quality standards


§         Overseeing legal, regulatory and compliance issues in major jurisdictions


§         High level communications skills that facilitate the briefing of all project stakeholders at all stages of project development


§         Detailed knowledge of corporate laws, regulatory frameworks and foreign ownership restrictions in Thailand


§         Detailed knowledge of project regulatory requirements in Thailand


§         Experience with the management and acceptance of  Thai Board of Investment applications


§         Strong analytical skills


§         Experience in managing cultural and management issues in Thailand


§         Preparation of detailed investor briefs and project summaries


§         Development of project plans, strategic plans and relevant implementation strategies


§         Development, interpretation and integration of international product standards and specifications including integration and implementation of ISO9001:2000 QA standards


§         Detailed knowledge of  the legal process in Thailand


CAREER SUMMARY


2005-2007                   Kelhead International Management                      UK


Position : Partner


Kelhead International Management works with potential investors and strategic partners to develop viable business either from startup or assisting with restructuring existing businesses.


Kelhead is based in the UK, but has recent experience in projects in the UK, Thailand and Singapore.


Project 1


2005-2007       Samprasitchaipaisal Co. Ltd                       Thailand (Bangkok and Loei)


Approximate project value – USD 10 million (ongoing)


Samprasitchaipaisal  is a Thai based company that operates Iron Ore mines in Northern Thailand.


Samprasitchaipaisal  is currently refinancing and seeking investment finance.


Primary Tasks:


§         Prepare investor brief


§         Pre qualify potential investors


§         Prepare relevant legal documentation


§         Develop documentation for compliance with international standards


§         Introduce trade partner for product take off and shipping of raw ore


§         Coordinate sales to Chinese Steel Mill (Rizhao Steel) and prepare and administrate commodity sales contract


§         Coordinate ore body investigation including reserve estimation, mining plan and logisitics plan


Project 2


2006-2007       Sahamitr Steel Co. Ltd                                 Thailand ( Rayong)


Approximate project value – USD 40 million (ongoing)


Sahamitr Steel is a Thai based company that operates a steel rolling mill in Thailand.


Sahamitr Steel is currently refinancing and seeking investment finance.


Primary Tasks:


§         Prepare investor brief


§         Pre qualify potential investors


§         Prepare relevant legal documentation


§         Develop documentation for compliance with international standards


§         Develop export procedures


§         Introduce trade partner for product take off and prepare draft sales contract


§         Work with local banks to resolve distressed loan status


1999-2007                   Cleenbore USA                                  UK, USA and Thailand


Position: Director – Business Development


Cleenbore is involved in the development of patented technology for debris removal from the barrels of firearms. The civilian version of the product was introduced in 2004 to the US market.


Primary patent applications were made in 2001, 2003 and 2004.


The civilian technology was modified during 2003 and 2005 to apply to large bore military weapons in partnership with United Defence and the Research and Development Centre of the United States Navy Naval Surface Warfare Command ( NAVSEA).


The technology is expected to be deployed to the fleet in late 2009.


Cleenbore intends to manufacture in Thailand, and received Board of Investment (BOI) approval for manufacturing in Thailand in late 2005.


Investment to date approximately USD 2 million (ongoing)


Primary Tasks:


§ Coordinate product development and testing


§ Coordinate patent and IP applications


§ Liase with NAVSEA for budget preparation for fleet deployment


§ Coordinate planning of company and factory start up in Thailand including examining legal and regulatory issues


§ Prepare and submit Board of Investment application, including business plans and project brief


§ Establish procedures for integration of US and Thai production


1998-1999                    UB Roche Mining                Canada


Position: Consultant


UB Roche is a mining start up venture seeking investment capital in the order of


USD 800 million to develop a large iron ore mine at Roche Bay, Canada. The project


is ongoing with large reserves of haematite. I was primarily engaged to seek external financing. This project is ongoing.


1995 -1998       Placer Dome ( Now Barrick Gold) USA, Canada, PNG


Position : Business Development Manager (pre-construction and construction)


Placer Dome previously was a Vancouver, B.C. based mining company, mining primarily gold and copper.


Placer formerly had mine sites at locations in the USA, Chile, Papua New Guinea and Australia.


Placer Dome was taken over by Barrick Gold in 2006.


Projects worked on:


Lihir JV, Papua New Guinea (Gold) Project Value USD 300 million


Porgera JV, Phase IV Construction (Gold) Project Value USD 96 million


Osborne Mine (Copper and Gold) Project value USD 150 million


1992 -1993       Messrs Fleming Reid                                   Glasgow, Scotland


Position : Pupil (Trainee Advicate)


On  completion of military service I spent one year training as an advocate.


1985-1993        HM Royal Marines                           UK and Overseas Active Service


I completed eight years military service as a Royal Marines Commando Officer.


Serving both in the UK and overseas, I commanded a company of approximately 128 men, plus support personnel.


REFERENCES


Referees available on request.

Eight years in the Marines, at the same time doing two Bachelor Degrees, one in law, the other in Commerce?

And then doing a Masters in Business Administration in 1994 at Herriot Watt International School of Management, when he was fact in Australia married to the former Ms Jill Weiss?

At least that’s what he told the Australian Appeals Tribunal before Australia got rid of him.

But 1994 was the same year Scottish police sought and were issued warrants for his arrest and those of two colleagues who allegedly defrauded the Royal Bank of Scotland. He told the AAT he had been thinking of returning to face the charges, which he denied, laying the blame on his alleged cohots, but there were other considerations.

And finally is Goldie/Goudie using the system to liquide his assets as described by his former girlfriend Christine Spence below to the AAT? Christine Spence is among many who have identified Brian Goudie as the person she knew as Brian Goldie. His ex wife Jill Weiss told the AAT that Brian G thought ‘honest people were stupid’.

“217.

I learned for the first time of  Brian Goldie ‘s involvement in alleged fraud offences in the United Kingdom in early June 1997.  Brian Goldie  showed me the letter the Department of Immigration had sent him on 29 May 1997 requiring him to leave Australia. 

I was naturally shocked and upset about the Department’s decision, however I was even more astounded as to the allegations of fraud which the letter mentioned, as I had no prior knowledge of this issue. We discussed this letter firstly regarding the Department’s suggestion that  Brian Goldie  return to Scotland to answer the authorities on questions relating to the fraud accusations. 

I suggested at that time that this was in my opinion the only way he could clear his name of such an extraordinary accusation and then be in a position to return to Australia. He stated quite simply that as he was in fact guilty of these crimes he was not at all prepared to return to Scotland to face questioning. 

He stated that instead of having the effect of clearing his name, this action would almost certainly cause him to be charged with the crimes and he would then have to stand trial and probably end up serving a jail sentence. 

I was at this point extremely shocked to the point of disbelief. I gathered my thoughts and suggested that even though he was guilty I felt he should still return to Scotland, face his trial, serve his sentence, and be a free man from then onwards. 

He said that there was no way he would subject himself to that. He was adamant that he would fight this decision and continue to run from the problem. He said that he intended to appeal the Department of Immigration decision at the AAT. 

He said that when the AAT handed down their decision, which would almost certainly go against him, he would then appeal to the Federal Court. He said that when that failed he would either `disappear’ within Australia or go to New Zealand. 

When I asked him why he didn’t just leave for New Zealand immediately he stated that he had to use the appeal system to buy himself time to liquidate his assets and get some more money together before he went anywhere.” 

No action was taken on the Royal Bank of Scotland fraud. The warrants expired. All the accused had gone to Australia.

READ OF THE DAY, ER, WELL YESTERDAY FROM PATRICK WINN