Scandal surrounding a halted hyrdoelectric plant has seen Croatian journalists hyperlink the undertaking to Sasa Svalina and brother-in-law Josip Heit.
Heit is at the moment going by means of a refund settlement nightmare, following securities fraud allegations pertaining to a billion greenback “fraudulent funding scheme”.
The newest out of Croatia is a September twenty second report from Dusan Miljus of Jutarnji. Amongst different issues, Miljus examines Heit’s life previous to his involvement in Karatbars Worldwide.
Notably, Miljus reviews Heit was beforehand sentenced to jail in Luxembourg for monetary fraud.
Citing “dependable sources”, Jurarnji reviews;
After he was launched from jail in Luxembourg in 2012, the place he was serving a sentence additionally for monetary fraud, Heit took on a brand new id in Croatia.
He borrowed cash, a few of which he nonetheless owes in the present day, and he continued to current himself as a profitable businessman.
[Heit] made an impression, drove a Bugatti, and the family of his ex-wife, a German born in Russia, “pumped up” his capital.
Specifically, her uncle Andrej Labudzko, whose brother is Viktor, who buys weapons for the Russian military and is a person belief by Putin. Heit even introduced them to Una ten years in the past.
There’s so much to unpack there. First, particulars of Heit’s fraud main as much as his jail sentence in Luxembourg stay unclear.
Previous to his monetary fraud jail sentence, Heit
stopped his research and in 1998 began his first firm for tourism and luxurious companies, i.e. leasing and constitution boats in Croatia.
I need to level out, whereas seemingly being funded by a Russian arms supplier, when Russia invaded Ukraine Heit used donations to Ukraine as a GSPartners advertising instrument.
Undecided how that went down with Heit’s family, however I digress.
Born Josip Curcic, Heit’s name-change occurred after his launch from Luxembourg jail.
Josip Heit was born in Break up and married Kristina Heit, a German citizen born in Russia and residing in Germany, in 2009, after which took her final identify.
[Heit’s] mother and father Ivan and Ruza are residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ivan Heit [sic] now not has Croatian citizenship.
Jutarnji tried to succeed in Heit for touch upon a number of events.
It was solely on Thursday afternoon {that a} feminine voice answered us, who did need to introduce herself by identify, however solely mentioned that she would convey our message to Mr. Heit that we wished to talk to him.
Sasa Svalina (proper) was tracked down in Croatia and, regardless of being associated to Heit and funding into the frozen hydroelectric undertaking being by means of one among Heit’s corporations, said;
his brother-in-law [doesn’t] have something to do with the development of the mini hydropower plant in Una.
Sure, my spouse is his sister. I don’t know what his final identify was earlier than, however my spouse’s maiden identify was Curcic.
[Heit’s] mother and father dwell in Kastel Stari. He lives in Dubai and I haven’t heard from him in just a few moths. He doesn’t name me. We’re not business-related in any means.
Karatbars Worldwide was based in 2011. MisterHelmet, an “unbiased blogger” from Italy, cites Heit as a Karatbars Worldwide co-founder.
Based in 2011 by the German, Harald Seiz, and co-founders Josip Heit, Alex Bodi (later jailed for organised crime) and Ovidiu Toma.
Sasa Svalina was additionally concerned in Karatbars Worldwide, making an look in a minimum of one advertising video with Heit.
Following a failed transition to MLM crypto fraud, Karatbars Worldwide collapsed in mid 2019.
The collapse noticed Heit break up from longtime enterprise companion Harald Seiz. Jutarnji reviews Heit set about establishing GSB shell corporations in Kazakhstan in 2020.
It’s said that in 2020 GSB registered a brand new entity within the Republic of Kazakhstan, associated to cryptocurrency buying and selling.
There isn’t any details about board members, revenue, however solely eulogies about successes.
As we speak we all know GSB as “GSB Group”. Heit would go on to launch GSPartners and a number of associated corporations by means of GSB Group.
By its personal admission, GSPartners claims to have solicited a billion {dollars} in funding from “over 800,000 buyers”.
Following an avalanche of regulatory fraud warnings from all over the world, GSPartners collapsed in December 2023. The vast majority of GSPartners buyers are believed to be North American residents.
As a part of a settlement reached with US regulators earlier this month, that can see “GSB Group and Mr. Heit … consent to the entry of an enforcement order that concludes they illegally supplied and/or offered securities”, US and Canadian buyers are hoping to get their a reimbursement.
Pending additional motion, be it on the federal degree within the US or civil and/or legal fraud fees filed in different international locations, funds invested by GSPartners members outdoors of North America stay unaccounted for.
