PHANTOM OWNERS – SECRET EMPIRE Part 1

September 21^st , 2009 – When former Prime Minister Edison James raised questions as to whether or not Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit had an interest in certain multi-million dollar hospitality and real estate ventures in the Portsmouth area, it was the Prime Minister’s long time friend Renneth Alexis who rushed to respond so that Skerrit could maintain his silence.

Alexis has not only been claiming sole ownership of two of the ventures, he has also presented loan documentation from his bankers as conclusive proof that there are no other ownership interests.

But far from putting the matter to rest, the Alexis disclosures have opened the floodgates to new concerns over the source of large sums of money that have been quite mysteriously available to him since April, 2007.

We begin this journey into the secret empire of phantoms with the leading voices from both sides of a national discussion that anxiously await a direct response from Skerrit. First, from Edison James, the questions that set the cat among the pigeons:

Audio PodCast

The Questions Posed to the Prime Minister by the Hon. Edision James

Mr. Alexis Responds that associating him with the Prime Minister will distroy his reputation

Mr. Alexis says that the Prime Minster visit’s his Buildings

DATELINE VILLAS

The dates of interest that follow provide a factual context for appreciating the difficulties involved in accepting the notion that even though Renneth Alexis was seemingly dead broke coming into 2007, there should be no question about the overnight access to millions, which he claims to have earned through hard work over the past 30 years

Jun 20^th, 2003: Lawyers for Trinrico Steel & Wire Products file high court suit HCV248 of 2003 seeking to recover $22,650.00 from Renneth Alexis of M&R Trading

In 2003 as well, a cheque in favour of National Petroleum for $14,000 drawn on the account of then Education Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, was returned by NBD because of insufficient funds. As we say in very simple terms, the cheque from Skerrit bounced.

Nov 11^th, 2004: The directors of M&R request and receive an emergency life support injection of $200,000 thousand dollars from McKenzie Mitchell to be repaid with an interest rate of 5.5% per annum

Mar 9^th, 2007 : Renneth Alexis reaches agreement with AIDB bank for line of credit in the amount of $2,692,380 to consolidate existing AIDB loan and to construct the top floor of an apartment building, believed to be the 36 unit lilac complex at Picard

The loan is secured by a certificate of title on 1 acre of land in the name of Renneth Alexis, Life insurance, insurance on the building valued at 3.1 million dollars and an over the counter deposit

Apr 2^nd, 2007: Blaircourt Property Development Ltd., company # 1787, is incorporated by Earl Grant, Building Contractor of Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Address of Registered Office:
16 Hillsborough Street, Roseau

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2127, Roseau

Earl Grant, said to be a trusted foot soldier of Roosevelt Skerrit and close associate of attorney Stephen Isidore, is listed as the sole Director.

Grant’s only other known corporate interest on record is Tri-Point Rentals incorporated on September 23^rd, 2008.

NB: The Company’s Act # 21 of 1994 provides at section 18(2) that a company shall not commence business before it has made an allotment of shares. Two and a half years after it was incorporated, there is no shareholder information on Blaircourt Property Development Ltd available to the public from the people’s company registry

Apr 26^th, 2007: Memorandum of Transfer in which Cecil B. J. Lockhart transferred title for 1.25 acres of land at Guillet/Savanne Paille to Blaircourt Property Development Ltd., for a consideration of $239,580.00. (Valuation at $4.40 per sq ft)

Pay particular attention to the southern and western boundaries of this property:

• On the South: by lands of Renneth Alexis and Roy Desbonnes separated by a public road
• On the West : by the land of the heirs of Rufus Savarin
• On the southern Side : The land at the southern boundary in the name of Renneth Alexis is a 5,494 sq ft parcel purchased from Chester Laville on April 22^nd, 1988 and on which Alexis built his residence a few years ago

The chambers of attorney Stephen Isidore prepared the Memorandum of Transfer. It was signed by Cecil Lockhart before and in the presence of a notary public in the District of Columbia whose commission expires on Mar 14^th, 2012

May 11^th, 2007 : Letter presumably with loan proposal from FCIB indicates that Renneth Alexis of Avie’s Ville INC commenced negotiations with the bank for a loan to build a second apartment building at Picard, within 2 months of reaching agreement with AID Bank on a loan of $2,682,380 to complete the first building in the same geographic location

Jun 1^st, 2007: Memorandum of Transfer for the 1.25 acres at Guillet/Savanne Paille presented to Land registry

Jun 11^th, 2007: Land Registry signs off on the transfer of title from Cecil B. J. Lockhart to Blaircourt Property Development Ltd.

Jul 4^th, 2007: McKenzie Mitchell files a breach of contract action against M&R Trading Ltd in the High Court claiming an amount of $210,395.05 as outstanding loan principal, interest and legal costs

Jul 25^th, 2007: Renneth Alexis – a director of M&R Trading – acting for and on behalf of Avie’s Ville Inc. secures a line of credit from First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) in the amount of $2,200,000 to construct an apartment building at Picard, Portsmouth estimated to cost $2,240,720

To secure this loan the bank enters a caveat on 21,780 sq ft of land at Picard; accepts unlimited personal guarantees signed by Renneth Alexis along with a $120,000 deposit; and arranges for all risk insurance on the property for no less than the appraised value to be assigned to the bank

FCIB requests a Quantity Surveyor certificate verifying that the value of work undertaken in the preliminary stage of construction amounts to at least $40,720

Aug 12^th, 2007: Roosevelt Skerrit discloses to the people of Dominica that his sole property interest is a piece of land in Vielle Case on which he is planning to build a modest 3 bedroom house at an estimated construction cost of EC$400,000.00.

Aug 29^th, 2007: The Times Newspaper publishes an article entitled “Million Dollar Assets, $5,000 Salary” stating the truth and fact that Mr. Skerrit, contrary to his August 12^th, 2007 statement, acquired over 5 acres of land valued at more than one million dollars within a one month period in 2005.

In the wake of that publication:

Attorney for Mr. Skerrit, Stephen Isidore, subsequently admits that he made a mistake in the calculation of land transfer taxes on one of his client’s land purchases which resulted in a short payment to the treasury of over 50 thousand dollars

The chambers of Alick Lawrence under the guidance of Anthony Astaphan files a lawsuit against the Times and its Editor Matt Peltier, claiming that Mr. Skerrit was defamed by the disclosures about his million dollar land acquisitions

Sep 5^th, 2007 : Notice is given that Earl Grant, Building Contractor, ceased to hold office as a director of Blaircourt Property Development Ltd.

Sep 17^th, 2007: Notice is given that as of this date Renneth Alexis, Businessman, is the sole director of Blaircourt Property Development Ltd. The notification is signed by someone purporting to hold the title of Secretary

Oct 8^th, 2007: “No acknowledgment of service having been filed by the defendant here-in; it is this day adjudged that the defendant M&R Trading Ltd, do pay to the claimant McKenzie Mitchell the sum of $210,395.05 together with interest at the rate of $29.93 per day from the 6^th day of October 2007 until satisfaction, and costs”.

Dec 14^th, 2007: Memorandum of Transfer in which Airman Rufus Laville Savarin transferred title for 1.493 acres of land at Guillet/Savanne Paille to Blaircourt Property Development Ltd., for a consideration of $130,000.00 (valuation at $2.00 per sq ft)

Pay attention this time to the eastern boundary:

On the East: by the lands of Blaircourt Property Development Ltd

The Memorandum of Transfer  is prepared by the chambers of attorney Stephen Isidore

Dec, 2007 :          Attorney Stephen Isidore asks the court for permission to correct the registry records on the September 2005 transfer of land from Leopold Emanuel to Roosevelt Skerrit with an additional payment of $51,071.69.

May 14^th, 2008: Skerrit and his attorney honour commitment to pay additional land transfer taxes as presented to the court in the amount of $51,071.69

Jun 13^th, 2008 : Notice is given that the Registered Address of Blaircourt Property Development Ltd., has been changed to Grandby Street, Portsmouth – the address of M&R Trading. The notification is signed by Renneth Alexis purporting to hold the title of Incorporator

Oct, 2008: Work commences on the construction of 8 villas at Guillet in the name of Blaircourt Property Development Ltd

Dec 11^th, 2008: FCIB enters a caveat on the 1.25 acre portion of land at Guillet presumably to secure a loan of $1,778,000.00 for the construction of 8 villas on the said land

Apr 29^th, 2009: Quantity Surveyor visits the construction site at a time when the roofing was already completed on most of the Villas

Jul 16^th, 2009: FCIB establishes a demand instalment loan in the amount of $2,278,000 in favour of Renneth Alexis of Blaircourt Property Development Ltd, representing an increase of $500,000 to the existing loan of $1,778,000 “to assist with the construction of 8 villas estimated to cost $3,491,384.97”

FCIB records no interest in the source of the additional $1,213,384.97 needed to complete construction as estimated

To secure this loan the bank holds a caveat on 1.25 acres of land at Guillet; accepts unlimited personal guarantees signed by Renneth Alexis; and arranges for all risk insurance on the property for no less than the appraised value to be assigned to the bank

Sep 2009: Tiling and painting work continue as seven of the villas near completion. Sources in the area report that work has commenced on two more