The Unity Labour Party says it will purchase the building on Murray’s Road where its headquarters is located, for which it did not pay rent since 2011, resulting in an eviction notice last week.
Prime Minister and Political Leader of the ULP Ralph Gonsalves announced the party’s intention to purchase the building on Saturday at a rally to mark the party’s 14th anniversary since coming to office.
“I see a piece of mischief in a newspaper about the ULP had to leave their office. I am telling you, ULP ain’t leaving no office,” Gonsalves said.
“Even before Julian get the letter, I don’t understand how a lawyer letter written to Julian reach the newspaper before it reach Julian. I really don’t understand that. That is why I call it a piece of mischief,” he said.
Last Monday, Kay Bacchus-Browne, lawyer for the building’s owner, Lionel Coombs, sent ULP general secretary Julian Francis a notice to vacate the building in one month.
A copy of the notice was also sent Gonsalves, the party’s leader.
“… last week Tuesday, the person who Julian was paying rent to for the office, he paid a substantial amount of money and told the man that by Monday or Tuesday, whatever the arrears would be paid,” Gonsalves said.
“But I want to tell you this: nobody do mischief on De Comrade like that. We had an agreement to buys the property. Today, I spoke to the gentleman who owns the property, and the Unity Labour Party will be buying the property. That is all I want to say about that,” Gonsalves said.
He, however, did not tell party supporters why the party had failed to pay its rent for such a long period of time.
I-Witness News understands that the ULP, which took office in March 2001, initially leased the building in 2007 for one year with option to renew the lease. After the lease expired, the party began renting on a monthly basis but defaulted in payments for years.
Bacchus-Browne has said that at the time of preparing the Notice to Quit, the ULP owed her client $96,000, but subsequent to that her client gave additional information which upgraded the amount owing over $100,000.
She told I-Witness News Friday evening that the party had paid “almost half” of the amount and had asked for one month to pay the remainder.
She said her client had demanded that proposal in writing.
The lawyer told I-Witness News on Monday that she did not want to comment on Gonsalves’ statement about the ULP purchasing the building.
Bacchus-Browne did confirm that the building was up for sale, but declined to comment on how long it has been on the market.
She said she was preparing a letter to send to the ULP and would comment after it has been sent.
Comrade, the letter was sent to Julian last Monday, the issue hit the papers last Friday, can u please explain too me how the papers got it before Julian????
Stop it comrade you are a grown man, enough with the nonsense, you were delinquent and that’s that.
You were also delinquent on the phone bills that led too the disconnection of the police stations and hospital lines
You were delinquent on the payment for medical supplies that goes too our hospital, leading too them not sending supplies too us.
You are currently delinquent on the 30% you promised the civil servants for blocking the streets.
Delinquency is what u do…. This is what u should be celebrating 14 years of. You have no shame, coming to us now saying you are buying building. UTTER RUBBISH.
Buy the building all you want, it does not change the fact that you had not paid the rent in over 4 years.
Shameful
Just one of the mob can put his hand in his pocket and use his walking money to pay for that house.
The also have a war chest which they can’t close the lid on.
They are brimming over with wealth.
So much so that occassionaly they play family fortunes.
Old crocus bags of US$1 million.
They are stinking rich, no got that wrong, they are rich and stink.
Strange enough that ULP could not or high handedly refuse to pay the man his rent but all of a sudden they going to buy the building.Wow.Well I guess they have a war chest to do that but how many persons present at their rally are in a position to buy their next meal.Is ULP serving themselves or looking out for the interest of vincentians?
If I was the owner I would not sell to them unless they paid a premium. If he takes it back he should sue them for what they have done to the building, nasty red communist signs, horrrible board building in the garden, all of which I suspect was erected without planning permission.
No Sir Mr Owner, they have mucked you about, so make them pay for that. Back rent, premium price, and pay all your legal fees for chasing the rent and for conveying the property.
Give them a taste of what they did to you, disrespect and the stick.