PROBING THE UNSEEN INFLUENCE

Edison James Questions

Almost a month has gone by since the now famous questions publicly posed to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit by former Prime Minister Edison James about an alleged interest in real estate and hospitality business concerns in the Portsmouth area.

So far there has not been as much as a single word from Roosevelt Skerrit in response to the specific questions… Of course, Mr. Skerrit has lied before with respect to similar matters and probably does not want to lie again.

This is Roosevelt Skerrit on August 12^th, 2007, two years after he had acquired two parcels of land worth over a million dollars within a 4 week period on a legal income of 5 thousand dollars per month:

With respect to the latest round of questions, the public has heard not from Skerrit, but from one Renneth Alexis, speaking out of turn and demonstrating irrational hostility to the peoples’ right to answers from their Prime Minister when legitimate questions are raised about the legality of his conduct as a person in public life.

Alexis has basically sought to dismiss suggestions that Mr. Skerrit or anyone else outside of his immediate family has any ownership interest in the lilac painted apartments at Picard and the red-roofed villas at Savanne Paille.

So far his valiant attempts to hide Skerrit’s alleged interest have merely brought more compelling merit to the questions that still await answers from the country’s Prime Minister

Bubbles Apartments

Bubbles Villas

Alexis has presented documentation for loans from the AID Bank and First Caribbean International totaling 7.2 million dollars as evidence of financing for developments at Picard and Savanne Paille with an estimated construction cost well in excess of 15 million dollars

The loans in question were secured with cash deposits on the order of 5% of the loan value, life insurance, all risk insurance on the buildings when completed and personal guarantees signed by Renneth Alexis

Given what the public knows of settled banking practice on secure lending, the unusual elements in the loan arrangements made public by Mr. Alexis, suggests the presence of a behind-the-scene influence operating at a higher level of importance and authority than Mr. Alexis

The incorporation arrangements for Blaircourt Property Development Ltd are equally unusual.

Earl Grant a loyal foot soldier of Roosevelt Skerrit and close friend of Stephen Isidore – Skerrit’s embattled attorney in matters of money and private business, incorporated the company on April 2^nd 2007. Grant is the sole director of the company. He gives the registered address of Blaircourt as 16 Hillsborough St. known to be a location from where Isidore operates commission agency business. Note well that even though he is the lawyer who will eventually handle Blaircourt’s land transfer and other business, Stephen Isidore agreed and most likely directed Grant to have the company incorporated by another lawyer. A few days later, an account is opened for the company with Grant and Isidore as signatories.

On April 26^th, 2007, 24 days after its incorporation, with no revenue stream, no share allocation, no equity funding from the Blaircourt officials on record and no evidence of any bank financing either, Blaircourt entered into a quarter million dollar transaction for the purchase of a 1.25 acre parcel of land in Savanne Paille from Cecil Lockhart. The transfer of title to Blaircourt was handled by Stephen Isidore

On September 5^th, 2007, less than 5 months later, Grant resigned as sole director and was replaced on September 17^th, 2007 by Renneth Alexis. Before that, on September 11^th, 2007, Alexis met with Invest Dominica to request concessions for Blaircourt’s proposed Villas at Savanne Paille.

Later in the month, on September 25^th, 2007, the registered address of Blaircourt moved from Isidore’s place of business in Roseau to M&R in Portsmouth – the business address of Alexis

At that time, Isidore was under severe public pressure as the attorney of Roosevelt Skerrit who allegedly made a mistake in the calculation of land transfer taxes on Skerrit’s 2005 acquisition of a 2.989 parcel of land from Leopold Emanuel which resulted in a loss of 51 thousand dollars to the treasury.

Skerrit too was under intense public pressure for accumulating million dollar assets that could not be explained by his legal income.

Who paid cash for Cecil Lockhart’s property? Was it Earl Grant who dished out the cash only to decide he no longer had any interest in operating as sole director less than 5 months later? Was it Renneth Alexis, who was not part of the Blaircourt incorporation, and who, as a director of M&R was responsible for settling a 2004 debt to McKenzie Mitchel which up to that point in 2007 had not being paid? Or did Isidore make a mistake and pay up the quarter million dollars for Blaircourt only to agree less than 5 months later to get rid of his friend Earl Grant as sole director and move the business from his Roseau address to Portsmouth?

Who paid cash for Cecil Lockhart’s property? Was it the unseen influence of greater authority and importance than all three gentlemen and for whom they are all fronting in some way, shape or form?

Who paid cash for the 1.493 acre parcel of land at Guillet for Blaircourt from Rufus Savarin on December 14^th, 2007? Grant? Isidore? Alexis? Blaircourt still had no revenue stream, there was no share allocation, no equity funding from Blaircourt officials of record and no evidence of any bank financing either. Who paid Rufus Savarin and with whose money?

That 1.493 acre lot allegedly purchased for $2.00 per sq ft is right next to the 1.25 acres purchased from Cecil Lockhart for $4.40 per sq ft. Are we to believe that the Registrar was not aware of the $4.40 per sq ft price paid by the same people for the land next door months earlier and so accepted the ludicrous price of $2.00 per sq ft on which the state’s land transfer taxes were paid in respect of the Blaircourt land purchased from Rufus Savarin?

The treasury was short changed by at least 15 thousand dollars

This land transfer transaction too was handled by Stephen Isidore. How many mistakes is he permitted before someone with the proper law enforcement authority decides to invoke the relevant provisions of the Title by Registration Act?

As the facts unfold, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid the unseen influence operating at a higher level of authority and importance than Grant, Isidore and Alexis and for whom they are all fronting in one way shape or form.

This important and authoritative, unseen influence, no doubt played a significant role in Cabinet’s grant of concessions to Blaircourt Property Development for the Villas at Savanne Paille in October 2007, notwithstanding the serious objections of a senior member of Cabinet and at a time when Blaircourt did not own 1.493 acres of the land proposed for the development

This important and authoritative, unseen influence, also appears to have played a role in the persecution of Michael Savarin by the Board of Invest Dominica whose job as senior investment officer was threatened, only because, he placed a caveat on the 1.493 acre property pursuant to a family interest in ensuring equitable benefits in respect of the land willed by Michel Savarin in 1925 to his three sons

Michael Savarin a great grandson of Michel was savaged by the Invest Dominica Board for placing the caveat on the land based on information he allegedly received from Alexis in his capacity as an officer of the authority.

The Invest Dominica Board acted based on a written complaint from Stephen Isidore and a legal opinion from its attorney, neither of which seemed to give any importance to the fact that at the time Blaircourt’s proposal for concessions was presented to the authority, the 1.493 acres included as part of the project had not been purchased by Blaircourt was still under the ownership of Michael Savarin’s family.

Michael Savarin operated with a power of attorney from Moffat Savarin – his grand uncle – and one of the three sons of Michel. The caveat was entered on September 19^th, 2007. It was withdrawn on December 11, 2008 following the death of Moffat Savarin whose evidence as contained in a sworn affidavit dated July 17^th, 2008, was critical to the outcome of the case to have the caveat lifted filed by Stephen Isidore on February 19^th, 2008.

The purpose of this investigation is to uncover this authoritative and important, unseen influence that is seemingly directing, incorporators, sole directors, lawyers, banks, land vendors, the registry, Invest Dominica, the Cabinet and others to do exactly what is necessary for this miracle company to get whatever its owners so desire.

We are not quite there yet… but we are getting close… within the next 15 days, our Blue Ribbon team of forensic investigators will report on what we hope will be the definitive international dimension to this local concoction of irregularities that have confounded us all.

Tagged as: Bubbles, Land Deals, Renneth Alexis, Roosevelt Skerrit