St. Vincent and The Grenadines Opposition Leader says eight lawsuits filed over non-payment at Buccament Bay Resort
On June 6, 2012, NDP and Opposition Leader the Honourable Arhnim Eustace issued the following on the NDP website:
Government must make every effort to have investors pay local contractors
Opposition Leader the Hon. Arhnim Eustace is calling on the government to make every effort to have investors make payments that are due to local contractors and employees who are working at the Buccama Bay Resort.
The Opposition Leader made the call today at a press briefing held by the NDP to discuss issues of importance to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Mr. Eustace noted that the evidents that are being produce are indicative of problems associated with the Buccama project. Some of these includes, eight law suits being filed against the company by contractors who claimed that they have not been paid or only paid in part and local workers not being paid their salaries.
Eustace said that those with authority need to defend the interest and rights of local contractors and workers. The government must make efforts to ensure that the rights of Vincentians are protected.
In addition the government must maintain an appropriate investment climate that will allow for foreign investments, thus it is therefore imperative that this matter be dealt with promptly, Eustace added.
… taken from the NDP website here
Dave Ames fires back…
The following press release was received from Harlequin Hotels & Resorts on June 11, 2012. The original press release is in PDF format at the end of this article. BFP used an OCR programme to cull the following words as Harliquin’s PDF was set up to block the copying of text. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) produced some errors and we think we corrected them all – but before you get too excited about anything you read in the following, check the original PDF, okay? If it reads the same, then you can get excited.
Take it away, Mr. David Ames…
11th June 2012
Press Statement from Mr Dave Ames, Chairman of Harlequin Hotels & Resorts
In an interview with Searchlight newspaper, Mr Dave Ames provided the following statement:
I first came to the beautiful islands of St. Vincent and The Grenadines in 2005 and fell in love with it. In the years since, I have worked hard to open Buccament Bay Resort, one of the most stunning resorts in the Caribbean.
Harlequin has never engaged in politics, nor do we wish to do so. It has always been our position to remain impartial and go about our business, but following recent comments by Mr Eustace and opposition legislator Mr Leacock in both parliament and press, I feel obliged to speak out for the first time. Mr Eustace and Mr Leacock raise alarmist concerns about the government’s “hands off approach“ to Buccament Bay Resort. Further, they make allegations of failing to pay staff and Mr Leacock goes as far as to suggest, and I quote, “There is the potential for a business to go belly up, leading to violence at the worksite.”
It is apparent to me that Mr Leacock has no idea what he is talking about at all and these comments are not only wholly incorrect and baseless, but frankly tantamount to incitement and hugely damaging to our relationship with the people of St Vincent and The Grenadines. I have in excess of 300 full time employed staff at Buccament Bay Resort, and let me state very clearly that all employees of Harlequin at Buccament Bay Resort are paid and paid on time, every month. In fact, since opening I have committed over $14,000,000 EC Dollars to payroll our hardworking staff in Buccament Bay Resort, making Harlequin one of the largest private employers on the island.
Also, through the ongoing construction of further phases at the resort, which has been driven by local contractors, I have committed over $29,000,000 EC Dollars in the last 6 months alone. In my time here we have worked with over 800 local suppliers and businesses during the construction of Buccament Bay Resort. My support for the local economy and local workers has been absolute and resolute, and will remain so. Harlequin pays its contractors at agreed stages of the construction process and they themselves are then wholly responsible for paying their own workers and sub-contractors. As with any construction site, all work requires inspection and then sign off from a Quantity Surveyor. Provided the work is complete and meets the required standard, payment is then made.
Mr Eustace, an economist, is quoted as saying, “The situation has implications for the nation’s reputation and foreign investment here.” Well, he is quite correct, as a direct result of such inaccuracies as are being spread at the moment by himself and his peers, there may well be future implications for foreign investment.
As an economist, Mr Eustace will know that Foreign exchange earnings are key to the future economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Indeed, tourism expenditures and the export and import of related goods and services provided by the good people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines generate substantial income to the economy.
I know that Mr Eustace knows this, as it says on his NDP website that, “Tourism is our largest foreign exchange earner, it h as enormous potential.” I would urge him to support it better.
Since I opened Buccament Bay Resort, thanks to the hard work of Harlequin staff made up of up to 1,000 local workers, there have been significant economic benefits to St. Vincent.
Jobs have been created directly within Buccament Bay Resort, where we employ over 300 people, jobs have been created amongst the 800 plus local suppliers we have used and are using now as we operate and grow Buccament Bay Resort. Many jobs have been created in supporting industries such as farming, fishing, retail, etc.
The arrival of increased tourism has brought with it increased spending in the community, businesses working with the resort offering tours and outings, and shop keepers and stall owners selling to guests on day trips into town.
It is the development of the tourism sector that will offer economic diversity to St. Vincent. Think of it as a growing insurance policy against difficult times. Tourism has the ability to support a community when traditional industry is under pressure, especially where communities rely heavily upon a single industry, as has been the case here with bananas in the past.
The Government also benefits from tourism; in fact, government revenues from the tourism sector can be seen in direct and indirect forms:
– Direct contributions are generated by taxes on incomes from tourism employment, tourism businesses, and direct charges on tourists, such as the $40 EC charged in departure taxes for every tourist that leaves St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
– Indirect contributions come from taxes and duties on goods and sen/ices supplied to tourists; for example, taxes on souvenirs, restaurants and bars.
Harlequin has committed millions of US dollars to marketing Buccament Bay Resort and St. Vincent and the Grenadines worldwide. I have just flown in from New York, where l have one of the most prestigious USA sales and marketing firms promoting Buccament Bay Resort right now in their travel markets. l have ensured Buccament Bay Resort is contracted with every major tour operator in the United Kingdom. l have recently opened marketing offices in France, Germany, Italy and Russia. And I have done my best to ensure that the world’s travel press know about Buccament Bay Resort. In fact, quite recently The New York Times newspaper listed Buccament Bay Resort and this Island as one of the top places in the world to visit this year.
I have gone to great efforts to establish Harlequin Air, which l hope will be flying our guests very soon. Its primary purpose is to support the flow of tourism into St. Vincent from international hubs and increase the volume of tourists visiting. l have been working diligently with international long haul airlines to increase volume for some years, encourage consistency and to hopefully attract them to the new international airport being built here, which l fully support.
Harlequin have encouraged the promotion and development of historical and natural sites as tourism sites in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and we encourage guests to take day trips to see this wonderful island.
We have established hotel training programmes, and Harlequin has spent 15% ($2,100,000 EC) of its total commitment to payroll training Vincentians to work in the luxury hotel and service industry by some of the best people in the industry.
Last month, Harlequin welcomed for the second successive year the Liverpool Elite Academy team to St_ Vincent and the Grenadines. They toured and visited schools, gave out gifts to children, conducted coaching sessions, and played a friendly game against the St Vincent U20 national team, which we sponsored, allowing locals to attend the match for free. We also recently opened o new football pitch facility at the resort, where we have hosted training sessions for the SVG international squad.
Earlier this year, Buccament Bay Resort entered info a partnership with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and now pays for cricket to be coached not once but twice a week by a WlCB-accredited coach in:
Georgetown Secondary School
North Union Secondary School
Emmanuel Secondary School, Mesopotamia
St. Joseph’s Convent, Marriaqua
Thomas Saunders Secondary School
Carapan Secondary School
St. Vincent Grammar School
Campden Park Secondary School
Buccament Bay Secondary School
West St. George Secondary School
We also negotiated with the WICB to ensure that international cricket returned to St. Vincent when we hosted the Australian and WICB squads for the test series this year, as well as the Bangladesh A team last year.
Further to all this, we have also been providing football and tennis coaching for local schools.
Original Press Release in PDF format here: Press Statement
Barbados Free Press 
To all the good People who read the Barbados Free Press. I would just like to offer the following observations and comments in relation to this statement by Mr Dave Ames.
Mr Ames,
If as you say all local contractors are being paid immediately after confirmation that the work has been completed. Signed off by Harlequin quantity surveyors and submitted for payments.
So why is it that Local Contractors have been forced to take Harlequin to Court for non payments and breaches of contract on Harlequin’s behalf.
I am also aware that the owners of the Paradise Hotel and Fantasea Tours Earl and Kim ejected Buccament Bay Staff from living at their Hotel because of non payments. Also fantasea tours will only allow buccament bay guests on their tour boats upon receipt of cash payments. Again due to long outstanding and overdue payments.
Fish suppliers in Bequia have gone bankrupt due to not receiving payments. A proud honest and hard working Gentleman reduced to tears by the deceit and dishonesty of Ames and his henchmen.
Rather than being the self proclaimed knight in shining armour Ames who obviously suffers from little man syndrome will walk over anyone who stands in his way.
Choosing to intimidate threaten and ruin lives rather than help people.
Staff payments in st Lucia also irregular. The man has been proven many times to tell complete and utter lies, so no surprise here. Am sure investors are glad though to see what all their money is being spent on! Noone has had a penny return depite all the promises, and even his own investors also have had to resort to legal means to get their money out. That’s what happens when you do business with harlequin.
Harlequin is (also) known to be a type of clown. One of the origins postulated for the modern Harlequin is Hellequin, … a black-faced emissary of the devil (taken from wikipedia)
My apologies I neglected to give praise were it is due.
Mr Dave Ames has opened offices in France Germany Italy and Russia. This is fantastic.
This must give all the Harlequin Investors a warm glow to see were their hard earned savings are being spent. Because the funds are not being used to develop the guaranteed villas. Buccament Bay is not finished. There is NO accommodation for Guests/Investors in Block Two. Only two floors of Offices and Staff accommodation. Oops Mr Ames more lies.
Wouldn’t an honest,, decent, responsible Person pay the Contractors, Local Suppliers and other Debtors. Before wasting more of the Investors money. With NO returns.
Anybody notice the lack of activity at the Harlequin Hotel site in Barbados…looks very much like a developer who is running low on funds…also three “show homes” at Merricks are still unfinished. The whole darn resort was to have been completed by now.They have been selling villas at Merricks for over 6 years, and they claim they are all sold,so why build a show unit at all? Buccament Bay in St Vincent is still a work in progress, no matter what Mr Ames says.
The following video is quite interesting, and raises several questions about the Harlequin operation.
Time will tell, but I smell a rat.
in his statement Dave Ames says that he has now become a citizen. does anyone know whether the uk can extradite a sv citizen. says for example if that citizen were wanted for questioning about a fraudulent scheme???
As SV is part of the UK Common Wealth still we can only assume that he can be extradited back to the UK if he is wanted.
It’s just a matter of time. Stanford 110 years. Ames will get his too, won’t save those investors’ money, but schemes like this have an expiry date and the penalty is severe.
lets be clear. FIRSTLY no-one knows how much has been spent on the build at BB as the accounts are not available and there has been no clear evidence of how much has been spent – only verbal figures quoted by mr ames. secondly HE has not invested this- the people who have bought into the concept , some 6000+ people if harlequin are to believed have invested. IT is their money that is being spent (on anything and everything with no accounts to show how their investment is being utilised) has ames used his own money at all?? if yes, lets have some proof. his uk company albeit owned by his family have taken millions in commission. have they used to this to assist with the construction of any of the resorts/ pay bills/ fight court cases/ buy airplanes etc etc etc. this whole debacle can be easily stopped with one simple item. the accounts/bank statements for harlequin svg/st lucis/barbados etc etc that show harlequin are well funded and in a position to pay employees/contractors/ build the rest of BB and all the other resorts that to date have not had any meaningful progress in terms of build. nothing at any of them apart from some part built show homes??? AMES has the ability to stop all this speculation. why doesn’t he provide the proof that he has the funds to BUILD/pay his employees/ contractors/investors????
I cannot believe that this situation is still rumbling on and on with seemingly no progress.lets hope this new litigation will be more successfull and bring closure on this awful company harlequin
looks like things are getting pretty serious for harlequin