It’s all her fault, Minister of Tourism Mark Brantley claims of his former friend Anne Bass for not bringing in big bucks from investors to complete the Pinneys’ Park project. Yet Bass flatly denies the accusations.
Brantley answered questions during his cross examination by Bass’ Attorney Damian Kelsick during the trial of Anne Bass vs The Director of Physical Planning et al.
In that suit Bass’s attorneys maintained that the Government departments acted without jurisdiction when they decided in April 22, 2015 to deny Mrs. Bass’s application. Instead granting permission to Caribbean Development Consultant Ltd. to construct Candy Resort Villa Development.
And the suit claims without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the materially revised plans as required by law and their decision should be made nul because of their failure to examine and take into account the environmental impact assessment. The lawsuit alleges that the Candy Development was approved without a complete and proper EIA.
In part of his testimony he revealed that he met Bass during the election petition case in 2011. He admitted that he would have received “financial support” from Bass that was wired to either his Nevis bank account or his bank account in Anguilla.
He said that their friendship grew and he would have had a number of political conversation with Bass and her partner Julian Lethbridge. He said that they “discussed bringing a number of developers and investors to the island”
“She claimed to be an environmentalist. She claimed to have many investors she can bring to Nevis. I believed her, I had no reasons not too,” he said.
Brantley claimed that Bass said that she would fund the Pinneys’ Park Project. And he understood that she would fund it while the Nevis Island Administration will be in charge of the upkeep of the park. “She understood that the park project was important to the people of Nevis,” he said.
Brantley noted that after Bass was unable to purchase Candy resort Villa she decide to stop all of her projects on the island including the Pinneys’ Park.
“The minute she didn’t get her way she stopped all these projects,” Brantley said.
In continuing he claimed that “her partner Julian Lethbridge said “that she (Bass) is prepared to abandon the island and leave the projects”
The Observer was able to view an email on Wednesday (October 11) from Bass to Brantley dated September 2013 which stated that she was willing to help with the Park project. She questioned Brantley if he had found the funds as yet to begin construction of the Park.
In a previous exclusive interview with the Observer Bass and Lethbridge said that Bass never agreed to fund the park, and Brantley assured her that he would secure the funding.
“Anne never ever said that she would fund it [the park] from the very beginning,” Lethbridge explained. “She said she would do all the consultations and all the designs. She told Mark, she would contribute something, but she did not want to be the major funder, she did not want to fund the whole thing.”
Lethbridge said Bass thought it is important that the funding comes from a broad range of people. “It is a project that belongs to the public,” Lethbridge explained. “She would be happy to help, but she absolutely cannot fund it all.”