OPINION: Allen Stanford can happen again in Barbuda

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OPINION: Allen Stanford can happen again in Barbuda

2003 saw a corporate individual invading Airport Operations and ignoring ICAO rules and regulations when he was permitted to own 36.44 acres of airport lands within the restricted zone of V.C.Bird International Airport.

The Lester Bird administration in their speed to approve Allen Stanford and his ability to acquire big money quickly, overstepped their powers in the international airspace and allowed ownership of lands within the perimeter fence of an international airport. Sir Lester later admitted his mistake with regret and requested the government to atone.

There is only one authorized jurisdiction in Aviation, and it is controlled by a body of regulators and highly legal authorities that govern all international airports in the world, ICAO – the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Airport lands are not sold as a rule, as airports always to look to future aircraft demands, expanding its land resources to suit runway and other airport requirements.

As a consequence, this error has continued to create problematic issues for the government and the ensuing owners of the lands, compounded by the absence of any current negotiated agreements between the private owners and the government as required by ICAO.

The airport has for 23 years operated a space within the international airport which does not conform to the demands of the U.S. and international regulatory organizations.

When the new administration came into power in 2004, in an effort to bring some semblance of order to the airport under the influence of Allen Stanford, an Antiguan Ken Hurst, was recruited to stand up to the demanding U.S. magnate and his free disbursement of his laundered currency.

Hurst was the ideal person for the job, first of all by disengaging the Airport from the Ministry through a fully owned government corporate entity, he soon after established a statutory body, Antigua Barbuda Airport Authority. ABAA then engaged the Stanford Development Company, negotiating an MOU as a first phase of operations.

He also replaced the old Terminal with a brand new Chinese built Airport Terminal.

Stanford was ultimately removed from Aviation, Banking and Finance, damned by his own international fraud and money laundering in 113 countries of the world, operated from his privately owned airport facility, which had its own security department within an international Airport.

We now hear of an international airport threatening to open soon in the sister island Barbuda, which like Stanford has been privately financed by Foreign Direct Investment, and also appear to be controlling the development of a highly technical aviation and legally regulated business.

To date this non-aviation entity which has financed the airport runway and mini-terminal has imposed important decisions on the technical regulators, using their support of the government backers to challenge aviation rules & regulations.

Barbuda has been used a drug drop before, and dumping in waters around have occasioned drugs to wash up on the shores of the little island, and now, an airstrip creates a new opportunity for drug drops and movement.

With police and military being used to protect the developers and their prospective clients, the people of Barbuda could easily be deceived, just like those in Antigua who woke up one day to find out that they had been honestly working for a seemingly respectable international business that was simply a money laundry!

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6 COMMENTS

  2. Good thoughts. Notice that this happens under an ALP government where historically, scandals, corruption and nepotism seem to be their modus operandi.
    This current ALP, led by arguably the worst of the lot, Gaston Browne, is headed full speed down the same path.
    The layers of corruption that have emerged in the last decade will take many years to unravel, but unravel it we must.

  3. Stanford will happen again ? he invested millions in Antigua, built an infrastructure, stadion and made the airport area look proper, now he is forever in prison and everything he owned and invested into went back to the government… what’s the loss ?

  4. @ unpopular opinion
    It’s not just an unpopular opinion. It’s a stupid, dunce and ridiculous opinion

    VC Bird Sr. use to say “they can’t take it with them” It turned out to be a good political sound bite, and has been repeated infinitum by the naive misinformed and misguided.

    Unfortunately it is a flawed concept that has proven to be a big lost. So what’s the lost? Reputationl Lost is among them.
    Antigua was targeted for internet gaming because of reputational lost.
    All the beach fronts sold to or leased to FDI has never returned to local ownership.
    So as old man Bird said they can’t take it with them. They only can take the fortune they make selling it to another foreigner and forever lost to Antiguans

    Antigua is seen as the hide away for scam artists from around the world.
    What’s the list do I need to go further? Another reputational lost

    • @Dwaine Frazier.
      Agree with you 100% this time around. “They can’t take it with them” by the late V C Bird Sr was indeed a soundbite like no other. Music to the ears of some but bitter gall to those who dug deeper. Your post is spot on. Funny how things like this soundbite can return to bite us in uncomfortable parts. Here’s another one: “Economic Powerhouse”. Roll up, rollup.

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