Two weeks after the publication of the Tobago Sandals MoU yet there has been no cogent defence of these detrimental provisions. The stark analysis is that the provisions of that MoU all favour Sandals’ interests, so much so that I am frankly wondering if they were the authors. Serious and inescapable questions of professional responsibility … Continue reading Property Matters – The Sandals MoU, part 3
#finefinefine In writing on the extent to which Public Money is stolen or wasted and the need for proper standards, I offered this equation for the reality check – EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC MONEY Minus Transparency Minus Accountability EQUALS CORRUPTION My previous articles have been focused on the gaps in the available information on the current … Continue reading Property Matters – Sandals Splinters
I applied to the High Court for a Judicial Review of the refusal of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to provide the Tobago Sandals MoU under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA). On 11th October 2018, I was granted leave to proceed with the Judicial Review and the Case Management Conference is set for … Continue reading Property Matters – the Sandals case
The previous article delved into the published information on the three existing State-owned hotels and juxtaposed that with the proposals for a Tobago Sandals. Apart from the unsatisfactory position with the State’s existing hotel investments and the reluctance to give details, I also updated readers on the missing MoU for the Tobago Sandals project. My … Continue reading Property Matters – Sandals MoU? Part three
The previous article updated readers on my attempts to obtain the Sandals Memorandum of Understanding for the proposed high-end, large-scale resort development in Tobago. That proposed development is said to be a significant part of our country’s diversification efforts so it requires our sober attention if we are to understand what is at stake. The … Continue reading Property Matters – Sandals MoU? Part two
This is a continuation of my 8 March 2018 article on the Sandals MoU. That MoU was declared as no secret by our PM to the Parliament on 12 October 2017 and that was confirmed by the then CEO of the Sandals group, Adam Stewart, as reported on 27 February 2018 in the T&T press. … Continue reading Property Matters – Sandals MoU?
The Tobago Sandals mega-project has returned to the headlines with recent interviews of Sandals Resorts’ CEO, Adam Stewart, in Barbados and Stuart Young, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. Stewart’s statements were widely reported in the local press (see Addendum 1 below) with an emphasis on the lack of secrecy in the entire … Continue reading Property Matters – Sandals MoU
Tobago Benchmark hosted a symposium on the “Impact of Sandals Resort on Tobago and No Man’s Land” on Thursday 18th August 2016 at the Buccoo Community Center. Afra Raymond was one of the guest speakers, focusing his talk on the “underlying commercial arrangements” which no one likes to talk about. Examples throughout the Caribbean are … Continue reading VIDEO: Afra Raymond at Tobago Benchmark Symposium on 18 Aug 2016
#moralsofamangothief#takeweforfool#brightforspite The nine-day memory is a real thing in today’s world but some of us do remember and compare, so we are not fooled, not at all. Why is there a delay? We are being told by our AG that the new Public Procurement law cannot be implemented at this time because a significant number … Continue reading Public Procurement Delays 2022
I was invited to submit this article to compare and contrast developments between T&T and Jamaica in relation to the critical accountability, governance and anti-corruption work being undertaken by my colleagues at the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP) – this article was first published on JAMPJA’s website on 29 July 2021. Instead, I am provocatively … Continue reading Does Size really Matter? AN UPDATE
AfraRaymond.net 