According to lawyers Ramdhani & Associates (appointed to represent it at the judicial review hearings), Charis Group expects the Coral Cove hotel “to be a project within the Government of Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment Programme” (CBI). This has not been clear previously. So yet another scam is intended here using the promise of other people’s money. As if we couldn’t have guessed. Another Kawana Bay perhaps. Or worse.
We have to stop this monstrous despoliation of Grenada’s natural assets. It is aimed solely at satisfying the avaricious appetites for money of powerful individuals and their mates. It reveals a cynical disregard for the country and the interests of its citizens.
A recent critique of CBI was provided by Brian Samuel in Now Grenada and is well worth a read: https://www.nowgrenada.com/2022/05/my-top-10-beefs-with-citizenship-by-investment-part-1/
Fortunately it seems the days of CBI are numbered anyway. The EU and the US have now said that it must be stopped. And they have the power to make small nations do this by removing all advantages of CBI passports in terms of access to their countries. See
https://www.moneylaunderingnews.com/2022/03/golden-passports-and-visas/
In practice, this means of course that even if planning consent is given there will be few takers for buying a piece of this development. If building is started, the site will remain a wrecked or half finished eyesore. The Planning and Development Authority (PDA) should take this into account before granting planning consent. If there is no realistic prospect of a development being completed as approved, approval should not be given. Developers should be able to demonstrate available financing first or, better yet, made to deposit the money in an escrow account in Grenada!
The PDA should remember that part of its statutory duty under the Physical Planning and Development Control Act, No 23, 2016 is “to protect the natural and cultural heritage.” Section 38 says: “The Authority shall function as the national service for the identification, protection, conservation and rehabilitation of the natural and cultural heritage of Grenada, in accordance with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, to which Grenada is a party. ”
Looks like the Supreme Court will be even busier with judicial reviews any time soon! And we now have the strength of numbers to do this between the Coral Cove Group, Grenada Land Actors, conservation groups, the L’Ance aux Epines Association and individuals.
Don’t forget it’s still worthwhile to email your objections to PDA. Go to: http://www.coralcovegrenada.org/what-you-can-do/ You don’t have to write an academic treatise – just to register an objection will help. Numbers matter.
We still have no direct access to Charis Group and we do not know if it is getting accurate advice from its representatives in Grenada. It appears to be registered as a company in Grenada with its registered address as Afi Ventour, lawyers who, in the past, have refused to give us contact.