The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Homeowners at the controversy-torn Oceania Heights development last night expressed “disappointment, but not surprise”, that the developers had not committed to meeting them on Thursday this week.

Chris Fleming. one of the principals in the homeowner group that has been at odds with the developers, Canadian citizen Howard Obront and Bahamian attorney Anthony Thompson, said he had been informed by the Exuma Chamber of Commerce’s president that the proposed meeting had not been agreed to.

Expressing disappointment that the Government did not appear interested in providing “a helping hand” to resolve the dispute, Mr Fleming alleged in an e-mail sent to numerous parties that the value of their Oceania Heights properties was less than what many homeowners had initially paid.

And he contrasted the Government’s seeming lack of interest in the fate of more than $880,000 worth of Stamp Duty paid on Oceania Heights land purchase with its eagerness to obtain the same on the sale of February Point, the Exuma community that was previously owned by Mr Obront’s relatives.

Mr Fleming wrote: “I just hung up from speaking with Pedro Rolle, president of the Exuma Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, after repeated attempts to speak with any of the principals of Oceania Heights (Mr Obront, attorney Thompson, president Phillip Minnis) he was unable to secure a commitment for our scheduled meeting of Thursday of this week.

“In fact, the principals at Oceania Heights would not commit to meeting at any time in the future. As a homeowner at Oceania Heights, I am disappointed, but not surprised, at this turn of events.”

Alleging that previous attempts to arrange meetings had also fallen through, Mr Fleming added: “It continues to disappoint all of the owners that this very sad situation continues with no one at any Government level lending a helping hand.

“For the Oceania Heights owners, dreams have been shattered, and many wonderful promises broken. We are left with land that is worth a quarter of what we paid, with still no amenities that have fully been paid for.”

And he described as “unbelievable” the inability of Oceania Heights homeowners to determine whether Stamp Duty they handed over when purchasing their real estate, for passing on to the Treasury, had indeed been paid to the Government.

Oceania Heights homeowners previously said they had identified 16 buyers who had questions over whether their Stamp Duty payments had been received by the Treasury.

Among the complaints previously advanced by several Oceania Heights homeowners are difficulties with obtaining title documents to their properties. Other alleged grievances are that Mr Thompson, while representing both purchaser and vendor (the Oceania Group of Companies) in the real estate transaction, did not pre-disclose that he had a beneficial ownership interest in the development.

Messrs Obront and Thompson have repeatedly denied all this. While confirming previously that there was a police investigation into Oceania Heights at the homeowners’ behest, they argued that the police were being used to force them into agreeing an unfavourable settlement.

Dr Terry Swaine, another Oceania Heights homeowner, yesterday said he would be contacting Canada’s high commissioner in Jamaica, who has been “waiting to see the outcome of this”.

“He has stated that he is concerned regarding investment in the Bahamas, especially concerning Canadian citizens,” Dr Swaine added.