THA Chief Sec: Due process for Sandals

The pool with a swim-up bar next to the beach at the Sandals Royal Barbados resort. Photo taken from http://cdn.sandals.com
The pool with a swim-up bar next to the beach at the Sandals Royal Barbados resort. Photo taken from http://cdn.sandals.com

Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles is seeking to assure citizens that the Sandals project will go through due process.

He made the statement in response to questions put to him by Newsday Tobago by e-mail about the role of the assembly in negotiations and the construction of the proposed Sandals resort.

He said in a press release, “Whilst the Sandals Resort project has the potential to significantly transform the social and economic landscape of Tobago, it is important that the population rest assured that the Government of TT intends to comply with the laws of the land and in this regard, it will ensure that due process takes place.

“I also want to assure the people of Tobago that the Tobago House of Assembly continues to respect and abide by the Environment Management Authority and its processes. As an administration, we remain committed to ensure that Tobago derives optimum benefits from this project.”

After last Thursday’s public meeting at the Scarborough Library featuring comments by Afra Raymond, former president of the Joint Consultative Council, and others, Charles said he was compelled to make a statement.

“The primary focus of the lecture seemed aimed at discussing some of the implications of the non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of TT and Sandals Resorts International, 2000 Inc dated October 10, 2017.

“While I appreciate the speakers’ interest in the project as citizens of TT and their desire to see that this country gets a fair and reasonable return from the Sandals project, I wish to remind the public that the MoU that was being discussed on Thursday is not a legally-binding document and leaves room for further discussions and negotiations before a final legally-binding agreement is reached… Every single item listed in the MoU will be open for discussion when the Government’s negotiating team meets with the Sandals team,” he said.

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