Year 54 NO. 47BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, W.I. FRIDAY, APRIL 20TH, 2012 EC$2.00 At The Pumps This Weekend Maximum Price ULG per gal 23/11/11 DELTA $16.37 / SOL $14.11 / TEXACO $15.91 St.St. KittsKitts andand NevisNevis raisesraises St.St. KittsKitts andand NevisNevis ClosesCloses climateclimate change,change, naturalnatural disastersdisasters andand povertypoverty atat ExchangeExchange OfferOffer andand SummitSummit BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS Dr. Douglas said the relevance (CUOPM) – Climate change, of the core theme of Natural natural disasters and poverty Disasters cannot be alleviation were among issues overemphasized where St. Kitts- ConcludesConcludes AdditionalAdditional DebtDebt raised at the Sixth Summit of the Nevis is concerned and his Americas by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. RestructuringRestructuring AgreementAgreement Denzil L. Douglas. (cont’d on page 18) BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, million and New Par Bonds with a Caribbean Development Bank of (CUOPM) - The Federal face value of EC$134.4 million. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis New Discount Bonds, which carry announced Thursday that it has a partial guarantee from the (cont’d on page 2) closed its exchange offer launched pursuant to an Exchange Offer Memorandum dated 27 February 2012, as amended by a press release dated 7 March 2012 (the “Exchange Offer Memorandum”). The statement said that for the purposes of the Exchange Offer Memorandum, the Settlement Date is 18 April 2012. Photo: Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (C) “As part of the settlement gestures as (clockwise, top L) Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister process, on 18 April 2012, the Winston Baldwin Spencer, Barbados’ Prime Minister Freundel Stuart Government issued New Discount (partially covered), Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Kenny Anthony, Bonds with a face value of US$43.3 Hondura’s President Porfirio Lobo, Haiti’s Foreign Minister Laurent Lamothe and Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Denzil Douglas stand together during a group photo at the Americas Summit in PAGE 12 Cartagena, April 15, 2012. REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian Miss Labour Queen (COLOMBIA) Contestants Bio PAGE 05 CTO Donley Saunders chairman thrown under the bus by Hamilton Skerritt plugs and PAM for COMMENTARY BY sustainable * THE THINKING CITIZEN * VIEW POINT tourism * REV.CANON PERCIVAL (Left to right) – Guyana’s Acting Minister of * EARL CLARKE CTO’s Chairman, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, His * SOTTO VOCE practices in Tourism and International Transport, Sen. the Excellency Irfaan Al; Guyana’s Minister of Hon. Richard Skerritt speaking at the Conference Natural Resources and the Environment, His the region opening in Guyana. Excellency Robert Persaud and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS Chairman, Sen. the Hon. Richard Skerritt at (CUOPM) – A clear and profound (cont’d on page19) the opening ceremony. 2 - OPINION / LOCAL NEWS - The Labour Spokesman FRIDAY, APRIL 20TH 2012 Young teen shot and killed; two charged with his murder THE SPOKESMAN - ESTABLISHED MAY 1957 By Charles Miller Jr Published by: The St. Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union on Tuesday morning (April 17th) the vicinity of National Housing Police have charged two in Shaw Avenue, Central Corporation on East Park Range Ag. Managing Editor: Dawud Byron young men for the murdering of Basseterre. (East Basseterre), early Thursday Masses House, Church Street 19 year – old Trevis Henville, who Police officers and officers of (yesterday) morning. P.O Box 239 . Basseterre . St. Kitts . West Indies was shot and killed early Tuesday the Strike Force quickly responded 19-year-old Jermaine Browne Tel: (1 869) 465-2229 <> Fa: (1 869) 466-9866 morning just after 8:00am. to the matter and visited the scene of Conaree Village was shot and Charged are 20-year-old to find Henville’s lifeless body a killed shortly before 7:00am. On Email: [email protected] Randy Taylor of Taylor’s Village few meters away from Cayon Street arrival, officers discovered his Website: www.labourspokesman.com and 24-year-old Lennox ‘Len’ on the side of the road and a crowd body in the street and he was then Gumbs of St. Johnson Village. The of onlookers surrounding him. pronounced dead by District two were formally arrested and The young man was then Medical Officer, Dr. Mervyn Laws charged with the crime on pronounced dead by District and later transported to Jenkins Editorial Wednesday, a mere day after the Medical Officer Dr. Reginald Funeral Home. incident took place. O’Loughlin and was removed by Browne’s murder marks the 7th Henville, who is said to be from undertakers and transported to the homicide for St. Kitts – Nevis; 6 in New Town, East Basseterre, but Jenkins Funeral Home. St. Kitts and 1 in Nevis. IT WASN’T ME! resides in McKnight, Central Police are now investigating Investigations are ongoing. Basseterre was shot multiple times another murder that took place in For those who are unfamiliar with the above title it is taken from the 2001 musical hit by popular reggae artiste Shaggy. The lyrics of the song essentially depict a man seeking advice after being caught cheating and the advice received was for him to deny St. Kitts and Nevis Closes Exchange everything with the phrase “it wasn’t me” despite all evidence to the contrary. Offer and Concludes Additional Debt As life sometimes imitates art, the song has in legal circles inspired a defence coined the “Shaggy defence”. This seems to have been the defence that was employed by the Democrat Newspaper recently when Restructuring Agreement they attempted to convince the general public that Mr. Donley Saunders (cont’d from page 1) off ‘goodwill payment’ of EC$11.25 Discount Bonds in exchange for was innocent of the charges that were brought against him for which he per EC$1000 face value of New Par their original instruments. With the was tried and found guilty by an 11-1 verdict by the jury. The trial of the up to US$12 million, were issued Bonds held, along with the first implementation of the collective case lasted four (4) weeks. at a discount of 50% to the face regular monthly payment of action clauses, the percentage of The fundamental basis of our justice system is that a man (or woman) value of the original eligible debts interest. eligible claims restructured rises to is to be tried before a jury of his or her peers. It is precisely for this tendered for the discount option,” On 15 March 2012, St. Kitts and 100. reason why twelve ordinary people who have no axe to grind are selected the statement said. Nevis announced that tenders for Separately, the Federal and why technical legal jargon is broken down into simple lay man’s It noted that on 18 May 2012 96.8% of the aggregate principal Government and the Nevis Island terms by the judge so that everyone of the jurors has an understanding holders of the New Discount amount of debts eligible under the Administration also announced of what the nature of the charge is and what evidence must exist before Bonds will receive a one-off exchange offer had been received. Thursday that two restructuring a conviction can be made. ‘goodwill payment’ equal to During 16-17 April 2012, the agreements covering Without stating what was so difficult to understand about the charge US$130 per US$1000 face value of collective action clauses contained approximately EC$900 million in of taking money that doesn’t belong to you and using it for purposes New Discount Bonds held, along in four of the original instruments loans and other debt facilities that the true owner has not agreed to, the Democrat in its article starts with the first regular monthly eligible under the exchange offer owed to domestic creditors have their shaggy defence by first blaming the jury for not being smart enough. payment of principal and interest. were implemented. As a result, It wasn’t me! Holders of the New Par Bonds holders who did not tender their The Democrat conveniently forgot to mention that Mr. Saunders will at the same time receive a one- claims were yesterday issued New (cont’d on page 17) produced fake and fabricated invoices for a company called Wallace/ Duporte Trucking Excavating and Concrete Ltd. that does not exist nor has ever existed. They also forgot to mention that both gentlemen came court and want the general public to blame the police rather you believe that in some way Denzil Douglas did testified that they never owned such a company and would have cheques than blame Mr. Saunders for his actions. something that takes away from all the evidence that were personally made out to them cashed and returned the funds to What they do not tell readers is that the presented in the case regarding Mr. Saunders’ actions. Mr. Saunders. contractor for the project came to court and told Did Mr. Saunders do any of the things the evidence What right thinking people should realize from this is how PAM and the court on oath that the company named in the said and the jury heard? Does that count as to why the Democrat view ordinary people and ascribe less than worthy fake invoices never did any work for him as the the jury found it impossible to believe that any intelligence to them. Do you think that a PAM government would discuss contractor and he had never heard of that company, reasonable person would undertake such a mammoth matters fully with the electorate which is made up of ordinary people? Or nor did he had any materials delivered to the project task for free and that funds were misappropriated and would they think that the matters of State are too complicated for ordinary by that company.