Fines mounting up
The government of Fiji, which passed legislation to bring a casino resort to the island paradise in 2010, has back-pedaled on that plan.
From the start, the planned casino was beset by problems. It was originally expected to open in October 2013. But developer Larry Claunch initially could not secure land for the resort, and had to relocate to a site near the Denarau Bridge. Additional delays caused the government to issue US$100,000 per month in fines; according to Marianas Variety, as of last March, the total exceeded US$1.1 million. Making matters worse, Washington state’s Snoqualmie tribe, which invested US$1.5 million in the project, has sued One Hundred Sands to get its money back.
Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum denies accusations that the Fijian government was defrauded by the operator; he says the government has reaped $500,000 from the deal and will come out ahead when the fines are paid.
“To date approximately $1 million has been paid. Of course one of the reasons for the revocation of the license was because the other $1 million has not been paid to date,” Sayed-Khaiyum said. “So what we will be doing as provided under the license is we have the ability to pursue the outstanding amount. It will be pursued by the government.”
