Delay in Alfa Nero payment will negatively impact desperately broke Browne Administration, says UPP caretaker Bird

Despite all its boasts, the Gaston Browne Administration is in
desperate need of finances, and the delay in transferring payment
for the Alfa Nero will create some issues, Sean Bird says.

Bird, the United Progressive Party caretaker for St. John’s Rural East,
says he had some trepidation with regard to the auction and
subsequent sale of the superyacht.

Then – having learned that the Government’s ownership of the
vessel had been challenged and that at least two emergency
applications for injunctions had been filed – Bird says he became
curious to know who would put themselves in the heart of such
litigation.

Overall, he says, the sale of this yacht spelt trouble from the
inception. 

Information coming out of the Cabinet claims that New Yorker Eric
Schmidt, who purchased the vessel, is delaying payment of his
US$67.6 million bid until the court matters are resolved.

However, the UPP caretaker says the Browne Administration’s
statement is only an attempt to save face, since the country is going
down a slippery slope.

Interestingly, Bird says that – for the first time since Prime Minister
Gaston Browne’s administration took office – he is showing some
degree of humility, knowing the country’s current financial
situation.

He notes that a number of income-generating avenues have been
abused to the detriment of the country and, as an example, points to
the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).