Carlos sad over Duprey’s debt

CARLOS JOHN, former Clico honcho, yesterday expressed surprise and sympathy at the High Court’s ruling that his former boss, former CL financial executive chairman Lawrence Duprey, must re-pay US$122 million in a Florida land deal gone sour.

“It was a shock to me because I was never really connected to BAICO, but to Clico, so that’s how it was a shock,” John said.

“I don’t know the facts, what went wrong. But it was sad, I would say, that a man of his business acumen...I know he has been quite generous in helping people with different scholarships and so on.”

Asked about money John had claimed from Duprey (reportedly $5.1 million), John said Duprey was not in a position to pay it so he was not going to waste his time chasing the money.

“We still remain very good friends. I wouldn’t let a financial transaction come between us.”

Asked how he was doing otherwise, he replied he was “keeping a low key and just watching tricks.”

On Thursday at the Port of Spain High Court, Justice Ricky Rahim agreed with BAICO's claim against Duprey for money injected into the Green Island Project in Osceola County, Florida, USA, endorsing a similar ruling a year ago by Judge Erik P Kimball in the South District of Florida Bankruptcy Court.