Annette Sharp: Youssef Tleis and Kassim Alaouie apologise for house giveaway debacle

Two entrepreneurs who recruited Roxy Jacenko to help them promote a house giveaway have issued a public apology to entrants who stand to be left out of pocket, writes Annette Sharp.

Two aspiring entrepreneurs who recruited Roxy Jacenko to help them promote a Cronulla house giveaway have issued a public apology to entrants who stand to be left out of pocket after the three partners fell out.

Jacenko, Youssef Tleis and Kassim Alaouie began squaring off in court last week over the ill-conceived giveaway.

The men have issued a statement of apology to competition entrants who spent between $29 and $499 to enter the competition and may never see a return on their money after Jacenko called in liquidators to the trio’s ailing company Roxy’s Bootcamp Pty Ltd in the NSW Supreme Court.

The planned competition draw didn’t proceed on Thursday and the future of the promotion is in doubt.

“Our primary concern has always been you, the public, and especially those who have participated and purchased an entry into this promotion,” Tleis and Alaouie said in a joint statement on Saturday.

Roxy Jacenko at the Cronulla home which was dangled as the main prize in the promotion. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“We filed a cross-application seeking orders … so that we could run the promotion,” the businessmen said. But that was unsuccessful.

“We sincerely apologise to you all.

“We fought as hard as we could and were even willing to give personal undertakings to support our fight.

“We want to express our deepest regret for entering into this partnership with Ms Jacenko. It has been an incredibly challenging and eye-opening experience.

“We sincerely apologise.”

Tleis and Alaouie — who own the Cronulla house that was dangled as the major prize in a complicated multi-draw competition, which put the value of the house at $10m — are set to return to court on June 24 to put their side of the bitter fallout.”

Youssef Tleis and Kassim Alaouie have issued an apology. Picture: Instagram

“Moving forward, we will continue our fight in the Supreme Court of NSW. We thank you for your understanding and continued support,” the men said.

“We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience or distress. We will do our best to keep you informed.”

They signed off: “God bless.”

Jacenko also apologised to entrants via social media on May 10, but with no reference to God.

Entrants in the giveaway, of which there are said to be 7000, remain in limbo while liquidators determine whether the draw — prizes for which also include a $250,000 cash prize, a Hermes Birkin handbag and a Rolex watch — can proceed.

Meanwhile, the battle is over who may be on the line to repay entrants should the draw be abandoned.

Jacenko has previously said she has set aside around $700,000 in funds to repay entrants, but her court action changed the course of the dispute.

As revealed in court on Wednesday, the three directors of Roxy’s Bootcamp held ambitions the promotion might raise $11.5m — a figure based, insiders say, on the belief 200,000 people would enter.

In the end only around 7000 did, a figure well short of PR queen and chief competition promoter Jacenko’s 268,000 Instagram followers.

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