Extend & Pretend

For ten years the Government of Antigua & Barbuda has avoided the payment of compensation for its expropriation of the private property known as Half Moon Bay Resort.

Physical possession of the property followed in 2007. To-date no compensation has been made for the taking.

This letter was written by the Managing Director of HMB Holdings Limited following the dismissal by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal of an application by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to allow a stay and a reversal of a High Court Order which required the Government to initiate payment of compensation to the dispossessed owners of the property whose title had been taken a decade ago.

The letter was originally sent to the media in Antigua, but was withheld from publication.

"Dear Editor,

In his morning interview on Observer Radio on Tuesday, July 21st 2015, Prime Minister Gaston Browne brought up the issue of payment due for the Government's forced acquisition of the Half Moon Bay property.

He included his remarks in a segment dealing with the status of the ABI bank, stating that his government needs to prioritize spending on matters of national importance. He went on to say that he hoped that in the...