When the lights went out at the luxury resort Buccama in December 2016 and the guests were left in the dark sweating it out, it was perhaps the most dramatic scene that captures so vividly the horror the Buccama story has turned out to be.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said last year he would be disappointed if Buccament Bay Resort , now into new hands, were not opened by December. Now he is saying his government is moving to acquire lands sold by farmers which ended up in the hands of Buccama but for which the deeds were never registered by the lawyer.
Buccama’s lawyer and company secretary Samuel Commissiong was charged with theft and tax evasion to the tune of millions.
Buccama’s principal Dave Ames, too, was charged with tax evasion and theft.
Ames fled the country hours before he could be arrested and charged and taken to court.
Commissiong was charged and taken to court. He subsequently died.
The charges against Ames were subsequently withdrawn.
Now the horror continues.
“I just want to say that I am hopeful that pretty soon the issues to be resolved down in Buccament, that will be done.
“You see, what happened is this: There are a lot of title issues. There are some deeds which were signed from vendor to the purchaser to the Harlequin people them. They were not registered.
But, as I understand it, the lawyer who had those original deeds died. But the KPMG who are the trustees, they have the copies. And they have evidence that these were bought and people paid for and all the rest of it,” Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves told reporters at Cabinet Room on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Gonsalves told reporters how his government intends to get involved.
“So, I said what we can do, we can acquire the lands, acquire those, so that, since you don’t have the originals to register, we can acquire them. But, if we’re acquiring them, they – the trustees – have to give the government an indemnity just in case it turns out that we have to pay and in fact, there are problems of one kind or another.
“Now, the nature and the terms of the indemnity … you have to do a waiver of right to compensation to the trustee, So, there are a lot of technical stuff. I’ve seen all the documentation.
And the AG’s chambers has been back and forth with the trustees and also with the persons who earlier this year got the property – I’m talking about Kelly Glass and Johnathan Milne and Barry Ferdinand,” Dr Gonsalves stated.
Prime Minister Gonsalves, who last year registered his disappointment that Buccament Bay Resort did not re-open for December, said the process has taken far too long and he intends “to make sure that what is done that the government is protected as best as is possible under the law while at the same time wanting to help to get the show on the road.”
