'My dream came true when I retired to Spain but now I am a cleaner'

Irish Daily Mirror

17-06-2025

Alan Brozel, a British expat who dreamt of a leisurely retirement under the Spanish sun, has been dealt a harsh blow, forcing him back into the workforce as a driver and holiday villa cleaner to make ends meet. The former Barnet local had relocated to Gata de Gorgos on the Costa Blanca with his wife Paulene after opting for early retirement at 50.
Their idyllic plans turned bitter when Alan's pension pot vanished into the abyss reportedly swindling him out of more than £150,000.
In a chat with the Daily Mail, Alan shared his harrowing experience: "This was my whole pension, the whole lot, I'd only worked for a couple of companies, and they had invested wisely so the pot was substantial."
He had entrusted the company with his funds, directing them towards low-risk investments, but alleges that "they forged our signatures to invest in high risk".
At first, the company appeared to be fulfilling its promises, doling out dividends as anticipated, but eventually, these payments became sparse and unpredictable. Alan reminisced about his initial hopes: "The idea was we would all give up work and have numerous holidays around the world and the investment money would help cover that," reports the Manchester Evening News.
Now aged 74, Alan is scraping by on a £600 state pension, topped up by various odd jobs. He revealed his current plight: "Now I'm 74, and I'm still working cleaning villas and looking after dogs in our house," he continued, "There is no sign of me stopping. Paulene is still working too."
Alan and Paulene have a slim chance of getting their investment back after Jody Smart, a former director at CWM and ex-model, was found guilty of fraud last month.
Company Secretary Alan Gorringe passed away before the trial could begin, while the whereabouts of another director, Darren Kirby, is currently unknown.
An insider reportedly shared with expat paper Olive Press that Kirby might be hiding out in Britain, revealing: "A judge is dealing with this and it's under legal review. We understand he is currently in England."
Alan didn't mince his words when describing Smart as "an absolute con artist," expressing his regret for losing his life savings to CWM and the additional sting of having recommended the dodgy firm to mates.
Numerous people, mostly British expats, invested with CWM.
One particularly troubled pensioner confided in the Olive Press that he'd lost €210,000 from a total investment of €470,000 in supposedly "low to medium risk" opportunities.
He sadly recounted: "I was asked, 'Can you sign this blank form. We will fill in the details.' I did that trusting they would act in my best interests," and went on to say, "They should have been looking out for me and they were just feathering their own nests. To me they knew what they were doing."