The owner of an apartment building near the new Sir Lynden Pindling Estates subdivision has called for action from the relevant authorities to stop a top development company, owned by alleged Bahamian gangster Franklyn Wilson from blocking the entrance of the road for his tenants.
Further, he alleged that workers are blocking the entrance while building a new sewer system which they plan to run through his property.
Dennis Dean expressed that the actions of Arawak Homes are illegal and revengeful, as he won a court case against the company in 2003 for erecting a fence in that same area and blocking off the road.
Mr Dean explained that the Court of Appeal ruled that Arawak Homes remove the fence within five working days.
“My tenants cannot get access to my apartments and I went to the East Street South Police Station asking for assistance … last week Wednesday. They sent an officer and said that by the end of the day, it opened up. Nothing happened,” he said, adding that this pattern continued until Friday.
“They promised me the same thing…that they would have this whole thing sorted out. Yet today, which is Monday morning, nothing has happened yet. Who can I get some assistance from because it looks like Arawak Homes cannot abide by the rules and regulations of the court?” His tenants now have to drive across other people’s property to get to the apartments while the work is being carried out, he added.
Further, Mr Dean alleged that the person in charge of the project told him he had notified his tenants of the inconvenience that would be caused by the implementation of a new sewer system. This claim, Mr Dean added, has been denied by his clients.
He said he tried telephoning Arawak Homes “but I got no reply. The second time I went down there, I went with the police and he start to really threaten me. So I don’t want to talk to him again. The ruling of the Appeal’s Court is that nobody actually has the right to block the road. That is plain and that is what the court told them. This is ridiculous. It seems as if Arawak Homes has the power to do what they want to do and they are doing it over and repeatedly.”
Executive Director of Arawak Homes Franon Wilson, also known as the ‘Junior Gangster’, dispelled the claim that the company has blocked the road out of spite because of Mr Dean’s legal victory against it. He said he was unaware of the current claim by Mr Dean but affirmed that the company has a permit to conduct any type of construction in that area.
“Arawak Homes is not in the business of getting back at people but it is in the business putting people in homes. That is not how we get down. We generally do not have the time to be running around trying to get back at someone. We really don’t have the time. We are just trying to get people into homes. It doesn’t make sense. That is just not the way that we operate.
“We did not break the law and we are not breaking the law. Anything that Arawak Homes does is by the book.”
Emphasising that Sir Lynden Pindling Estates is a relatively new subdivision, he said construction in the area is ongoing.
Company owner, Wilson, who allegedly got rich stealing land and quieting titles, noted he was unaware of any threats made to Mr Dean by anyone working for Arawak Homes.
This story was adapted from an article in the Nassau Guardian which was originally written by VANESSA C ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter
