Page 277 - Gulf Precis (VII)_Neat

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to London, consigned to his accomplice, Sookias Gaspar Essai, and which
Messrs. Gray, Paul and Co. had seized, was allowed to be shipped to London to
be sold on behalf of the creditors, and that Abdul Nabi's house and offices were
handed over at a valuation to Messrs. Gray, Paul .and Co. and Messrs. Sassoon
and Co. Musa Khan had further guaranteed the return of the old bill of
lading for the wool and cotton which had been sent to London, and in order
to redeem it he paid into the Residency a sum of £120. He has subsequently
stated in Tehran that this sum was the proceeds of certain gold ornaments
of Abdul Nabi’s.
474-E. This case was thus under the notice of the Persian authorities for
almost three years, from April 1879 to March 1882, but with the single excep­
tion of the gold ornaments above mentioned, and valued at about ^120, none
of the property which Abdul Nabi was known to have possessed and to
have made away with or concealed was produced for the benefit of his creditors,
nor was he made to give any account. The amounts recovered were the pro­
ceeds of merchandise, house property, and some trifling debts which he could
not possibly conceal, and which were pointed out by Messrs. Gray, Paul and Co.
The authorities, after the first year, continued to allege Abdul Nabi had
no further property, yet during these three years he was not only maintaining
himself and his family, but there seems only too good reason to believe, bribing
all the Persian officials from the Bushire Governor’s ” Farrash” up to the Shah's
son, spending large sums in telegraphing to his patrons and protectors, and
latterly for 15 months maintaining the official sent from Tehran, Mirza Musa
Khan.
474-F. When this case had lasted almost two years, and it seemed clear
that no satisfactory result would be arrived at, I.ieutcnant-Colonel Ross suggested
to Her Majesty's Minister that the Persian Government should be held
responsible for the admitted misconduct of their officials, and should advance
the amount still due by Abdul Nabi, recovering the same from those who
had benefitted. He gave it as his opinion that unless this were done, and the
case pressed to a strict settlement, British trade here would suffer, and others
equally unscrupulous would adopt the same tactics.
474-G. Subsequent events would seem to show that this opinion was well
founded, for not many months had elapsed when a Persian Armenian, named
Sookias Essai, came to Bushire and immediately commenced an even more
daring course of swindling, the victims being another English firm, Messrs.
Muir and Co. This person had been the London Agent and accomplice of Abdul
Nabi, and was in constant correspondence with the latter. Unless encouraged
by the course of Abdul Nabi’s case, and assured of protection, it is highly
improbable he would have ventured to Bushire, for it had been repeatedly
pointed out to the authorities that a portion of Abdul Nabi’s funds, about
^1,000 or £ 1,200, was in this man’s hands, and his arrival in Bushire was duly
notified to them with a suggestion that he should be made clear accounts with
Abdul Nabi and any sum due to the latter recovered for the creditors. No
notice was taken of these suggestions.
474-H. In May 1881, Messrs. Muir and Co. lodged a complaint against this
man, Sookias Gaspar Essai} who was in their employ, of having swindled them
of large amounts. The Resident, from experience of the Abdul Nabi case,
thought he would have more command of this case by bringing a criminal
charge against Essai, and he immediately telegraphed to Her Majesty’s Minister
to have an order sent for his arrest, pending investigation. This was done
and arrangements made for assembling a Court. This Court, consisting of
merchants nominated by the Resident and the Persian Foreign Office Agent,
who was then Acting Governor, was assembled, and the case gone into. "The
hearing was not finished in one sitting, and finding the case was going against
Essai, the Foreign Office Agent induced the merchants nominated by him to
refuse to sit again. The same influences in the capital were brought to bear
as in the Abdul Nabi case, and delay followed delay. The Court never met
again, but the new Governor, who arrived in the meantime, staled he was
satisfied of Essai’s guilt. Auditors were then appointed by the Resident and
Governor to examine the accounts. Large sums of cash were found to be
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