YESTERDAY’S second meeting of creditors of the collapsed Bestjet Travel and Wynyard Travel voted for the businesses to be liquidated, amid revelations that the company’s Xero-based online accounting system had been accessed four times since the OTA ceased trading on 18 Dec.
Administrators Nigel Markey and Bradley Hellen of Pilot Partners confirmed that Xero had provided them with login details to the platform, which Director Robert McVicker had previously referred to Michael James, husband of former owner Rachel James (TD 03 Jan 2019).
Both Michael and Rachel James had claimed they were unable to access the accounting system, but Pilot Partners told creditors yesterday they had found Michael James was listed as the administrator of the software when they were given access.
The accounts had not been reconciled for some time, the administrators noted.
McVicker and the James’ were no-shows at yesterday’s meeting, which was attended by officials from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
Also present was Kate Ryder, coordinator of the Bestjet Fiasco Action Group, who has been advocating on behalf of thousands of impacted consumers, along with reps of IATA and consolidator CVFR Travel Group.
The administrators noted that their ability to pursue the matter was constrained by funding, with credit card processor IntegraPay lodging a claim over $3.6 million it had deposited in the Bestjet bank account on the day the company was shut down.
So far Pilot Partners has accrued fees approaching $400,000, but is understood to have not been paid because of the IntegraPay claim.
Source: traveldaily