SELL BABY SELL!

Anse Marie-Louise sale tramples on Seychellois rights

I read with interest the recent article “One More R1 Land Deal” in the 21^st January 2011 edition of 'Regar' newspaper, which mentions the activities of Mr. Suliman Ibrahim Al-Dakhial.  I am sure you can appreciate that we, the staff and owners of the Plantation Club, have suffered a great deal at the hands of this man and it is very pleasing to see situation regarding land transactions exposed.

Regarding the Land at Anse Marie-Louise:

Mr. Suliman is the registered owner of T2236, being the 99% shareholder of Reem Limited.  Perhaps not-so-co-incidentally, a company with a similar name, Reem Riviera Resort, is one of the businesses of the Issham Business Group, the Saudi company owned by Sheikh Abdul-Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh, Mr. Suliman’s boss.

Throughout the world, a 99-year lease is considered as practically freehold.  The value of such a lease is, as you suggest in your article, therefore, virtually equivalent to the freehold price for such a property.  In this case, the value is closer to 10-20 million U.S. Dollars, given various factors which attract a premium, such as direct access to a beautiful beach, a parcel size which is large enough for a resort, etc.  Compare this to the 49 million Dollars paid for the 57 acres of reclaimed land at Eden Island.

I understand, from my sources, that parcel T2236 was part of a larger parcel which was zoned for agriculture and that change of use to “Tourism” was granted on this parcel without the knowledge of Joel Morgan, the Minister of Agriculture.  It would seem improper for precious agricultural land, of which there is so little in Seychelles, to be lost to farming use without the proper assessment and approval of the Ministry of Agriculture.

It also seems outrageous that someone would tamper with the reef, i.e. widening “lapas” or the “cut” which leads into the lagoon, merely for some foreigner’s tourism development.  Surely the Seychelles’ delicate ecology is more sacred than anyone’s business interests.

In the matter of the Plantation Club:

Mr. Suliman is not, in fact, the titular owner.  He is merely the “point man” for a Saudi businessman, Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh, who is behind the front company European Hotels and Resorts Limited (EHRL), now the registered owner of the Hotel property.  Mr. Suliman has been employed by Sheikh Abdul Mohsen for more than 25 years and handles his most intimate private affairs, such as managing his travel and private jets, his palaces and residences around the world, his mega-yacht “Coral Island” and his personal security and body-guards.  While this sheikh is not of “royal” birth, he apparently has close ties to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.  Mr. Suliman’s role in the Plantation Club “take-over” was to co-ordinate all of the parties involved in it and to “make it happen”.

Regarding Roche Copra land

Another point, which I think it is important to mention, is that the Bazar Ovan the popular weekly market and fair which used to be held at Roche Copra has, since the purchase by the Saudis, simply ceased to take place.  One could be forgiven for getting the impression that it has been “killed off”.  Either way, it has not taken place for some three months now.  Also, perhaps conveniently, the Roche Copra parcel is just a shade under five acres, so it gets by provision in the State Land and Rivers Reserves Act which states that “Provided that sales of state land up to five acres may be effected by private contract.”  Notwithstanding this, the sale goes against section 6(1) of the Act, as it was unlawfully sold for a fraction of its full value.

The Implications for Seychelles

One factor for Seychelles that can be questioned is the involvement of Minister Jacquelin Dugasse, Minister for National Development, whose responsibility it is to protect the country’s land and economic resources.  It was Veronique Herminie, Dugasse’s Principal Secretary for Investment, who filed the petition with the Supreme Court for liquidation of Ailee Development Corporation, the owners of the Plantation Club, and I notice from the extract printed with your article that Mrs. Herminie also made and signed the lease on the Anse Marie-Louise land.  Mr. Dugasse must be on good terms with Mr. Suliman, having visited him regularly at our hotel and, after its closure, at Mr. Suliman’s house in Baie Lazare.  I have witnessed this.  As we have repeatedly stated in the courts, our evidence has convinced us that Minister Dugasse was one of the four key government officials directly involved in the process that led to the Plantation Club ending up in the hands of Sheikh Abdul Mohsen.

The Implications for Mr. Suliman

Mr. Suliman is a naturalized Seychellois, holding passport number N0029846 and NIN 007-0564-6-1-02.  According to The Saudi Citizenship System, adopted as [Saudi] Cabinet Resolution no. 4 dated 25/1/1374 (Hijra Calendar), Article 11, “Saudis are not permitted to acquire any foreign citizenship without the permission of the Prime Minister”, and can lose their Saudi citizenship, if they breach this regulation.  This seems to be backed up by current U.S. State Department information.  Whatever the implications of that, presumably, as a Seychellois citizen, he would be subject to the laws of Seychelles and if he were to be found guilty of any wrong-doing, he would have to face the legal consequences in Seychelles, rather than merely being able to jump on a private jet and disappear.

Personally, I think the day has come when Seychellois say “enough is enough” to the sale of land to these wealthy Arabs who just want more and more, trampling on the interests of ordinary people merely because they have the money to “make it happen”.

M.E.Davison

Former Managing Director of the Plantation Club