by Linda Straker
- Radisson Grenada Beach Resort owned by Issa Nicholas (Grenada) Ltd is located on property
- Government of Grenada will be receiving annual rent of EC$250,000
- EC$60 million allocation to facilitate purchase/acquisition of critical assets/investments to support Government’s transformative agenda
Legal Affairs Minister Claudette Joseph has disclosed that the ruling Dickon Mitchell National Democratic Congress has reversed a land lease of the Dr Keith Mitchell Administration of 2003 to 2008, and the cost to the Government is US$5 million (approximately EC$13.5 million).
“This government has entered into an agreement with Time Bourke Holdings to purchase, to get back that property and we have already paid the deposit, and you would have seen in the Gazette some notification of the acquisition,” Minister Joseph told members of the Upper House during her contribution to the supplementary budget.
The Radisson Grenada Beach Resort owned by Issa Nicholas (Grenada) Ltd is located on the property. Time Bourke Holdings has the freehold lease for the land and receives an annual rent of EC$250,000, which the Government of Grenada, in taking back the land, will be receiving. It is not yet known if the amount will change or remain the same.
“I have to inform the nation that the negotiation got to a stage where we had to acquire the property, but notwithstanding the acquisition and the publication of the notice, the negotiations continued, and the parties agreed to a sale,” Minister Joseph told the House.
This was a second attempt at acquiring the property through acquisition. The first attempt was made during the reign of the Tillman Thomas Administration from July 2008 to February 2013. That acquisition was challenged in the High Court and was dismissed.
“That property will be returned to the people of Grenada with absolutely no risk of there being a challenge to the acquisition to us having gotten ownership of the property. The matter is closed, and the purchase price of US$5 million is included in the EC$60 million allocation. We had to negotiate the best deal that we could to get it back,” said Joseph, who is also the Attorney-General.
Among the requests in the supplementary budget is a request of EC$60 million for the Ministry of Finance. The explanatory notes said the amount is to facilitate the purchase/acquisition of critical assets/investments to support the Government’s transformative agenda.
Approximately 2 months ago, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell announced that his administration will ban the sale of lands on Grand Anse beach, and will present a Bill to Parliament ensuring that his government policy would become law.
Joseph also disclosed that Government is also close to finalising an agreement with True Blue Development Ltd Co, the developer for Kimpton Kawana Bay resort, a CBI-approved project located at Grand Anse beach, which was also awarded a freehold lease from the New National Party administration in 2016. Work stopped in 2020 after the developer challenged a decision of the government. The matter is currently before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.
Grenada seriously lacks leaders and institutions with integrity.
This viscous corrupt culture will continue unless they are criminalized.
What about this move is corrupt? Seems like its righting past wrongs.