According to SGCRA President, Fred Smith, he was recently notified that Justice Norris Carroll of the Supreme Court in Freeport would give his judgement within the next 24 hours.
“As a plaintiff, Justice Carroll’s clerk contacted the parties and gave us notice of his intention to deliver judgement on Thursday,” said Mr Smith.
Justice Carroll’s ruling is set to come more than eight months after the Guana Cay case had wrapped up in the Supreme Court. The case was based on an application submitted by SGCRA, who challenged a Heads of Agreement between the government and Baker’s Bay developers. They claimed that among other things, the move was illegal, the parties entered into it irrationally and failed to consult with the residents as promised.
In that vein, SGCRA filed a suit to block the multi-million dollar Abaco project and named Prime Minister Perry Christie, Wendell Major, secretary to The National Economic Council, Eugenia Cartwright, treasurer of The Bahamas, and the developers as respondents in the suit.
Meanwhile, Mr Smith has publicly denounced a rally where one hundred and fifty Abaco residents pushed for the government to make a decision for work to continue on the controversial Guana Cay development.
The Grand Bahama lawyer insisted that the Marsh Harbour protest was a desperate act by the Baker’s Bay developers.
“What I find is an obviously transparent attempt by the developers of Baker’s Bay to influence the Judge on the very eve of delivering his judgement, is this demonstration that the Baker’s Bay Developers have participated in Marsh Harbour,” said Mr Smith. “I mean that’s just unacceptable and so to do that on the eve of delivering judgement is a transparent and contemptible approach to the judicial system of The Bahamas.”
Just recently, work on the $500 million project was brought to a screeching halt in late July, after the London-based Privy Council issued an injunction that ordered the Baker’s Bay Developers to stop all physical works on the controversial project until the Supreme Court rules on the case.
Since that ruling, Baker’s Bay developers attempted to have the injunction set aside, which came in response to a petition filed by SGCRA. But in August, the Privy Council denied the developers’ request.
By JASMIN BONIMY, Nassau Guardian Staff Reporter
