ST JOHN’S, Antigua, March 22, 2010 – Weeks after investors in Allen Stanford’s businesses launched an assault against Antigua and Barbuda, the government has finally announced how it plans to fight back.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Legal Affairs Senator Joanne Massiah has announced that a public relations firm has been hired to counter the boycott and the government is exploring its legal options as well.
In her first announcement since being appointed by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer to lead the country’s response to the Stanford Victims Coalition (SVC) anti-Antigua campaign, she told members of the media that New York-based Portfolio Marketing Group has been liaising with her office and the US-based tourism office to craft an appropriate response.
And while that firm comes up with a PR plan, lawyers acting on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda are going into defence mode.
“We do not take lightly the threats of the self-styled Stanford Victims Coalition…We are in discussions with overseas counsel and intend to defend our country, our treasury, our citizens’ welfare and our patrimony,†Senator Massiah said.
“We cannot countenance the attack these persons have begun to wage on our country without first looking at other entities and organisations, including the United States’ regulatory authorities,†she added.
The SVC launched its campaign on the last weekend of February at the New York Times Travel show, distributing 20,000 brochures which claimed that crime and corruption in the Antiguan government led to the financial devastation of people from 113 countries around the world who invested in the Stanford International Bank (SIB).
Since the launch by the US group, the Latin American and European branches have announced their support for the move.
“We do not take lightly the threats of the self-styled Stanford Victims Coalition.” –Senator Joanne Massiah
The Stanford investors have also filed a lawsuit seeking US$24 billion in compensation – three times the amount Stanford is alleged to have defrauded customers out of – from the government of Antigua and Barbuda. They have also filed another lawsuit, in which the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) is named, accusing the ECCB of unlawfully seizing Stanford’s Bank of Antigua (BoA) after the businessman was charged and a run on the bank threatened its stability.
Attorney-at-law Peter Morgenstern of New York-firm Morgenstern & Blue has claimed that Antigua and Barbuda has refused service of the lawsuit.
But Senator Massiah said that was not the case.
“To date there has not been any service of any legal process on the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the diplomatic channel by any person or persons in this matter,†the minister said.
Meantime, the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has proposed that it be part of the counter campaign.
“The ALP also proposes the creation of a bi-partisan Parliamentary sub-Committee, comprising members of the government and the opposition, wherein both sides of the parliamentary divide may engage those who seek to impoverish the state and its people,†it said in a statement issued after Senator Massiah’s announcement.
MAYOR of Washington, DC Adrian Fenty has described the ongoing impasse between the United States and Jamaica over the extradition request for Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke as a “serious issue”, but said he was hopeful that both governments will be able to resolve the matter in the near future.
The mayor, a member of the Democratic party — one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States — noted on Friday that although not a lot of citizens in Washington, DC were talking about the case, it was a matter that needed to be dealt with.
“I am confident that it will be worked out. Jamaica and the United States have always enjoyed a very long and strong partnership, and working relation,” the mayor told the Sunday Observer.
He was attending a banquet marking the 1Oth anniversary of the Barbican Pines Optimists Club. His wife Michelle, president of the Advisory Council for Capital Breast Care Centre, was the guest speaker at the function.
Fenty told the Sunday Observer that although he did not have the full details of the case, it was important that both countries re-establish the strong working relationship they have always shared.
“This is one issue — a serious issue — but I think both countries will get past this (and) they need to get past this very quickly,” he said.
“They need to, because some American citizens come here, and some Jamaican citizens come to the United States; so you want the working relationship to be as strong as it always has been,” added the mayor, who also spoke briefly about a range of issues, from his love for Jamaican food and the beauty of the country, to the organisation of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships.
Meanwhile, Michelle Fenty, in her main address, challenged Optimists to build on the rich tradition and legacy left by the founders of the club — which was one of the only all-woman organisations in Jamaica and possibly the region.
Quoting sections of the Optimist Creed, Mrs Fenty said, “I want you all to promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind”.
Mrs Fenty, who is of Jamaican heritage, was born and raised in London, England and moved to New York at age 18.
Her passion and commitment for the betterment of children have led her to serve as a board member for the group, Fight for Children.
Featuring Ziggi, Maandiuml;kal X, Joggo, YT andamp; Mr Williamz.
The Jamaican government has a hit list of 50 prominent tax evaders, and somehwere on that list is flambouyant, colour-colour hair deejay, Oneil ‘Elephant Man’ Bryan.
The dancehall artiste was scheduled to leave the island on Wednesday but was turned back at the airport by oficials who picked up his name on the Top 50.
Since then, the artiste has resolved his outstanding tax obligations and left the island on Thursday to join the rest of his entourage for a tour of Europe.
In a press release, his management stated that Elephant Man held discussions with local tax authorities on Thursday morning which cleared the way for the subsequent lifting of the travel ban placed on him by immigration officials at the island’s ports.
One source close to the deejay revealed that between 2000 and 2005, Elephant Man’s tax returns totalled more than $5 million. However, the source could not confirm how much was owing at this time, and whether or not he had made payments since 2005.
Elephant Man who is booked to perform at venues in Switzerland, France, Germany and Holland should return to Jamaica in mid-April.
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM) — St Kitts and Nevis has been placed on the white list of the OECD countries.
The twin-island Federation was among three Caribbean jurisdictions – the others being St Vincent and the Grenadines and Anguilla – who now meet internationally agreed standards on exchange of tax information, the OECD said Wednesday.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said the entities had signed a total of 14 tax information exchange agreements with other countries and are now considered to have “substantially implemented†an international reporting standard.
The standard, developed by the OECD in 2002, was designed to combat harmful tax practices through the sharing of tax data among nations.
“We continue to see a great deal of progress as jurisdictions move to sign agreements,†said Jeffrey Owens, head of the OECD’s center for tax policy and administration.
“With Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines now reaching this benchmark, almost all the Caribbean jurisdictions have substantially implemented the standard, and we will be working with the remaining jurisdictions — both in the Caribbean and elsewhere — to encourage them to follow this trend.â€
St Kitts and Nevis were scheduled on March 24 to sign tax information exchange agreements with six Nordic countries.
Previously Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEA’s) were signed with Australia, Monaco, The Netherlands, The Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, New Zealand and Liechtenstein.
St Kitts and Nevis has already initialed or concluded negotiations with and are awaiting dates for signature with Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Finland and San Marino.
The Federation has commenced discussions with India, Japan, the Republic of Seychelles and the United States on Tax Information Exchange Agreement but has not yet confirmed the text for these agreements.
BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – A one-day meeting of the Regional Security System (RSS) got underway here on Friday with Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas expressing concerns over the escalating criminal activities across the Caribbean.
“You cannot divorce the challenge that the RSS faces from the financial situation the region faces as well as violence and crime. This meeting is critical because the RSS can be called upon to rise to the challenges with so little financial resources and so we must examine the programme before us and look within the context of the realities of the financial situation,†said Douglas.
In his brief remarks to the meeting, Douglas, who is also the Chairman of the RSS Council of Ministers, said despite the financial situation, there should be no duplication in the role of the RSS in the context of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Security framework.
A proposed Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) police service and the integration of the RSS within the CARICOM security framework are among the agenda items for the one-day meeting that is being attended by Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson, his Grenadian counterpart, Tillman Thomas and the national security ministers from the RSS member countries.
Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Sir Dwight Venner made a presentation to the meeting regarding the OECS police service.
The Council will also discuss the proposed RSS Vetting Policy, the development of anti-corruption strategies for public servants in the RSS member countries as well as a training academy and Caribbean-US security arrangements.
The upcoming International Cricket Council WT20 championships to be held in the West Indies and the RSS’s annual budget will also be discussed.
The Caribbean regional trade bloc Caricom is heading for “bankruptcy” with many islands unable to pay debts and cover costs, Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo warned on Friday.
“The region is heading towards bankruptcy, if countries could be declared bankrupt,” he said at a press conference.
Jagdeo, a Soviet-educated economist, heads a task force of the 15-nation Caribbean Community set up to look at ways the region can address the impact of the global financial crisis.
He said Caricom has been hit by a drop in revenues from tourism and financial services due to the crisis, compounded by a “pernicious” build up of debt and a loss of productivity.
Jagdeo is a leading proponent of debt relief for the region. He and other Caribbean leaders met World Bank World Bank president Robert Zoellick in Dominica last weekend.
Zoellick agreed to work with CARICOM to devise a debt management strategy for each country, Jagdeo said.
JAMAICA will be repatriating the 62 Haitian boat people who arrived in two fishing boats on the island’s east coast on Tuesday. Daryl Vaz, the Government’s chief spokesman, told reporters Thursday at a press briefing at Jamaica House in the nation’s capital, Kingston, that plans were being made to have the Haitians sent home within a few weeks.
Three of the 62 Haitians, who are said to be prison escapees, are to be returned to police in their country.
Days after the January 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left a trail of destruction in the impoverished French-speaking Caribbean island, Jamaica had promised to land Haitians fleeing their country and care for them until conditions had improved in their homeland.
However, the Jamaican Government, faced with several economic challenges of its own, is now singing a different song.
Vaz, the Cabinet minister without portfolio with responsibility for information, said Thursday that the country will not be able to host the asylum seekers for any extended period of time.
“Jamaica is facing its challenges like the rest of the world…,” Vaz told reporters. He cited financial constraints as one of the reasons for the decision, noting that it would cost Jamaica $9 million to host the Haitians for one week, as well as transportation cost to return them home.
“We are cognisant of all of the challenges people are facing in Haiti, but we have to be responsible in terms of our responsibility to our Jamaican people,” said Vaz. “(With) the times and the situation that we are facing, it is difficult for us to continue spending funds that we could be spending here on very essential services.”
In the meantime, the Port Antonio Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where the Haitians are now being housed, has agreed to allow the displaced Haitians to stay there for two-and-a-half weeks.
Spotify’s Senior VP, Paul Brown, confirmed in an interview that his company is already in talks with U.S. partners to try and bring the subscription service to the U.S. by Q3 2010. For those not familiar with Spotify, the online music service to which over 7 million Europeans subscribe, you get up to speed here. “We’re buying server space in random parts of the states and there are licensing discussions too,†said Brown “but they are going fine because we’re in a long-term partnership with the labels and publishers.†The tiered service currently has over 325,000 paid subscribers in Europe. The announcement draws the praise or ire of two factions: those who see the value in music subscription services due to the variety and selection of their catalog, and those who shudder at the thought of not owning, possessing, and otherwise dominating their entire music collection. We’re interested to hear from both camps. Does a service like Spotify, with the ability to listen offline on your mobile, interest you? Or is the thought of not holding the deed to your music make you sick to your stomach?
The Florida Senate voted to put class-size limits back on the ballot Thursday, while across the Capitol, security guards rushed to protect lawmakers from a hostile crowd after a House committee rammed through a bill that would tie teacher pay to test scores.
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