Government moves to acquire hotel property

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Jan 4, CMC – The Grenada government has recommenced the legal process to acquire the 30 acres property of the 212 room Grenadian by Rex Resort following an oral judgment delivered by High Court Judge Wynante Adrien-Roberts last month.
In her December 15th judgment, Justice Roberts ruled that the acquisition could not have been stopped but there was indeed an error in the published acquisition notice originally published in 2016. The written judgment is yet to be submitted to the Supreme Court records.
On March4, last year, MRI Ltd., the management company of The Grenadian by Rex Resorts, filed an affidavit and injunction request to prevent the Keith Mitchell government from revoking the company’s 99-year lease and take control of the 30 acre property.
According to the Gazette dated December 23rd 2016, Land Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, fisheries and Environment Trevor Barclay, was appointed as the authorized Officer for the purpose of the acquisition of the leasehold interest in the property.
The notice is to be mandatorily published twice in the Gazette and upon the second publication the property is to be vested to the State.
Following that the management of the property will then negotiate due compensation. That second publication is expected to be published during the first week of 2017.
Attorney Sheila Harris, whose firm Grant, Joseph and Co- is representing the hotel declined to comment on the matter.
“My Comment is, I have no comment,” she said.
The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said it said it remains suspicious over the publication and NDC leader Nazim Burke said that it represents another hostile stance by the government towards investors.