How cosmic healing became a black hole

In the weird world of cosmic healing Svetlana and Ingridin might have hit it off.

Until things turned sour.

Now Svetlana is out of pocket and whether Ingridin pays up is yet to be seen.

When Svetlana Malanina, a trustee of Auckland-based Cosmic Healing Trust, bumped into Ingridin Snow-Jander at an “energy healing” course in May last year, the couple soon became very close.

Ingridin told Svetlana she was looking for a partner to start a healing centre and Svetlana was keen.

Ingridin said she had a property in Tirirangi worth $900,000 which would be ideal for a healing centre business and retreat and all Svetlana had to do was buy it for $795,000.

Ingridin promised Svetlana the business would bring in $250 a week and would quickly expand.

Don’t tell the boyfriend
Ingridin didn’t want Svetlana to tell her boyfriend she was going to buy the house, because Ingridin reckoned he wasn’t the “right person” for Svetlana.

Svetlana was persuaded by Ingridin to sell a property in Russia so she could buy Ingridin’s Titirangi house.

Ingridin said she would find other people from different areas of healing to help run the business.

Together they visited Interactive Healing Therapies in Parnell Road and Biotrace in Tamaki to inspect equipment Ingridin would supposedly buy from the proceeds of selling the house to Svetlana.

Svetlana’s Russian property didn’t fetch enough to meet the $795,000 purchase price but when Svetlana tried to get a mortgage she was turned down because she wasn’t working.

False statement arranged
Ingridin then arranged for Svetlana to see an accountant who created a statement for her which falsely stated she was earning a regular income from self-employment.

Armed with the false statement Svetlana was then able to get a mortgage through a mortgage broker.

Ever helpful, Ingridin also arranged a conveyancing solicitor to represent Svetlana.

But before going to the solicitor Ingridin told Svetlana not to use Ingridin’s usual surname because she did not want the solicitor to know she was also the seller of the property.

At the meeting with the solicitor Ingridin referred to the vendor in the third person.

Ingridin knew Svetlana did not understand legal documentation and “took charge” of the meeting with the solicitor, steering the meeting away from issues such as the value of the property.

Svetlana later said she did not get truly independent legal advice.

Healing trust buys property
The women agreed to create the Cosmic Healing Trust to buy the Titirangi property, which was settled in August last year.

It was agreed Ingridin would live in the property until December 1, 2010, from which date the healing centre would be operational.

But when Svetlana arrived back in New Zealand in November 2010, she said Ingridin refused to communicate with her and told her she had done nothing to set up the healing centre.

Ingridin then retired from the Cosmic Healing Trust.

The penny drops
Svetlana then figured out Ingridin never had any intention of opening up a healing centre in partnership with her and the whole reason for befriending her was to sell her the property at a grossly inflated price.

Government valuation of the property at the time Svetlana paid $795,000 for it was $590,000.

A more up to date registered valuation put the value at $615,000 – still $180,000 less than Svetlana paid.

The property did not have the consents necessary for the purposes of a healing retreat where people could stay.

Property value misrepresented
In the Auckland High Court Svetlana claimed commercial deceit, breach of fiduciary relationship, breach of the Contractual Remedies Act and breach of trustee obligations.

Justice Mark Woolford agreed the situation was a breach of the Contractual Remedies Act.

He said it was “a proper inference” that Ingridin misrepresented the value of the property and its suitability as a healing centre, but said the misrepresentation “may have been innocent or fraudulent.”

There was also the matter of a $15,750 quote to fix a leaky roof.

Svetlana also sought $25,000 damages for stress caused by Ingridin, but Justice Woolford said that was not appropriate.

Justice Woolford gave judgment, with costs, in favour of Svetlana against Ingridin for a total of $193,532 – including $6731 for a private investigator and $6801 for non-party discovery costs.

But wait there’s more...
This time last year Justice John Priestley made an order restraining Ingridin or her agents from removing assets from New Zealand. Ingridin was also to be served with Svetlana’s proceedings

But Ingridin could not be served personally and it appeared she left New Zealand about January 6 this year, having transferred $294,975 to an Australian bank account the same day.

Perhaps unsurprisingly Ingridin did not file a statement of defence to Svetlana’s claim and did not turn up at court.