By KYLE WALKINE
Tribune Staff Reporter
kwalkine@tribunemedia.net
AFTER more than a year, negotiations between the government and Baha Mar are continuing, but hopefully will be resolved by the end of the summer, the resort’s Senior Vice President Robert Sands said yesterday.
Mr Sands said that the government has not made any payments for a year and that resort officials are still at the negotiating table trying to reach a middle ground on the remaining payouts.
“We’re continuing to work on that particular matter,” Mr Sands said. “Nothing has been resolved as yet. We’re hoping it’s resolved before the end of this summer.
“We’re encouraged that negotiations are taking place. But we’ll like to bring it to a successful conclusion as quickly as possible. We’ve been paid more than half of the amount outstanding. But we haven’t been paid any amount for over 12 months.”
Sources close to the matter say the government has paid Baha Mar $30m so far.
The government has to pay Baha Mar $47.8m if the cost to reconfigure West Bay Street amounts to more than $70m, Works Minister Philip Davis has previously said.
If the figure is less than $70m then the government would only have to pay 50 per cent, Mr Davis had previously explained.
Mr Davis, the government’s chief negotiator in the talks, has previously called the negotiations “troubling”. He has said he hopes the dispute will be resolved this year.
Comments
B_I_D___ 10 years, 5 months ago
Would that be around the same time that BTC/CWC talks are concluded? Just pay the people their dang money!!
Reality_Check 10 years, 5 months ago
It's our money and we should do whatever we can to avoid parting with it at the expense of Bahamian taxpayers......the same goes for all other additional concessions Baha Mar now seeks from hard working Bahamian taxpayers who are having a difficult time make ends meet....many of whom cannot afford necessary medical attention for their children and must put them to bed at night without a decent meal. This guy Sands is nothing but an uncaring front man for his filthy rich foreign (Armenian) master! The concessions Baha Mar received in the land it acquired with the help of the Bahamian government is shamefully over generous much to the detriment of all Bahamians for many years to come. These large developments constantly look to our stupid government for handouts and concessions of one kind or another that typically far exceed whatever economic benefits may flow to Bahamians from the development. Have you no shame Mr. Sands for blatantly acting as a front man whose sole job is to help a foreign master bleed our country dry? We now even have Atlantis pleading for additional concessions notwithstanding all the profits Sol Kerzner milked out of our hides into his coffers since 1994! Until Atlantis went belly-up and Sol Kerzner bailed out of the Bahamas, Barry Farrington served as their front man. Look what we have now....Atlantis threatening to close down if it doesn't get even more concessions from our lamed brain Bahamian Government! What foolishness and greed on the part of these unscrupulous foreigners and their Bahamian front men!!!
carlh57 10 years, 5 months ago
are you kidding?! Debts owed should be paid....regardless of who they are owed to....and it' seems your typical mindset of "spend other peoples money"...but lets not pay them back...typical stupidity and ignorance....that's why Bahamas is 2nd world country trying really hard to be a 3rd...with people like you this county is on the fast track to 3rd world status....grow up..!
Reality_Check 10 years, 5 months ago
Ed Fields is another one!
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