5th September 2012
Mr Hubert Hughes
Honourable Chief Minister
Chief Minister’s Office
The Valley
Dear Mr Hughes
You will recall that on August 27th 2012, after you had suspended debate on the motion to compulsorily acquire Cap Juluca Properties in the House of Assembly, I appealed to you to undertake serious public consultation on the matter and to make available to my colleague and I as Members of Opposition in the House of Assembly all information relating to Cap Juluca (“the property”) which lead your Government to take the decision to compulsorily acquire the property. To date, however, no public consultation has taken place and we the Members of Opposition still remain in the dark as to the issues surrounding your decision.
While awaiting a substantive response from you, I have nevertheless been trying tirelessly and without success to obtain certain information that would help in ensuring that my colleague and I are in a better position to participate in any debate on this matter. In particular, we are seeking all information available that gives the Brilla Group the rights they claim to possess under the sub-lease and/or other agreements. I have spoken to officials in the Ministry of Finance in order to obtain information, but to date without success.
It is unimaginable that I, as the Leader of Opposition, am unable to obtain this important information which affectsAnguillaand all Anguillians. During your campaign you championed the call for openness and transparency in government. These actions and/or inactions from various segments of your Government, however, are quite contrary to your promise. This is not the first time I have been denied getting important information from the Government of Anguilla, as I continue to have the same issue with my request as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (the “PAC”), with regard to access to information.
To this end, in my capacity of Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition I am through this medium again calling on you as leader of Government business to make available to my colleague and I all the information that lead you to take the decision to seek to Compulsorily acquire CJ Properties. Further I am requesting that you make available to us copies of the following documents:
1. Sublease Agreements between Leeward Isles Resorts Limited (“LIR”) and each Sublessee;
2. Alien Landholding Licenses issued by the Government of Anguilla to each Sublessee;
3. Management Agreements between CJ Management and each Sublessee;
4. Villa Owner Rights;
5. Crown letter agreement from the Crown in favour of “leasehold chargees”; and
6. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, Easements and Restrictions for the Resort.
I request that this information be supplied to us by Monday September 10th 2012, after which I will be obliged to take matters further.
Sincerely
Evans Mcniel Rogers
cc. HE The Governor
Honourable Attorney General
Mr Foster Rogers, PS Economic Development
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
