Panday gov't auctioned CJ residence; state now pays $54,000 rent

A report in the Sunday Guardian states that the Panday administration auctioned the official residence of the Chief Justice in 1997 as part of a government policy to dispose of most official residence.

It said the chief Justice at the time, Michael de la Bastide, chose not to live in the house at the time and did no t object to sale initially. However he changed his mind and wrote the government about the matter.

The Guardian said de la Bastide had suggested that the government renovate the mansion and retain it for use by future CJs. However, he later changed his position.

The Guardian quoted a letter dated December 18, 1997, sent from de la Bastide to former prime minister Basdeo Panday and then Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj four days before the sale.

“It is a fact that until quite recently, I did not intend to occupy the official residence because it would require considerable expense to bring the property back to acceptable condition, and in any event, my family and I were quite comfortable in our own home,” the letter stated.

The former Chief Justice explained why he had changed his mind about the property.

“Firstly I realised that it would be unfair to those who succeed me as Chief Justice to deny them the opportunity to occupy an official residence, conveniently located, suitable for their needs and appropriate to their office.

"Secondly, I have come to appreciate that it is important for the maintenance of the status of his office that the Chief Justice should occupy a suitable residence.”

The property that the government sold in 1997 was located in the upscale St Clair neighbourhood and comprised more than acre of land. The two-storey home comprised four bedrooms and three bathrooms and would be valued at around $31 million at current market prices, the Guardian stated.

Businessman Richard Azar bought the property in 1997 for more than $7 million. The Guardian said it was one of the highest bids ever offered for a state-owned property.
 
The Guardian said Wade Mark, who was Public Administration Minister at the time, advised de la Bastide that the Salaries Review Commission had taken a decision to replace government housing with an allowance for the Chief Justice and judges.

He said effective April 1, 1997, it was agreed that the Chief Justice would be entitled to a housing allowance of $7,500 while judges would receive $5,000.

The paper said the allowance has increased over the years with the Chief Justice now receiving a monthly allowance of $15,400.

The current Chief Justice, Ivor Archie, lives in a leased home that is costing the state $54,000 a month.

With respect to the current situation, the Guardian said a Cabinet Note dated September 30, 2008, committed the State to pay Ruthven Smith a rental rate of US$8,500 per month ($54,400) for a mansion in Goodwood Park for the maximum term of three years.

The paper said the lease dated May 13, 2009 between Smith, owner of the property, and His Excellency George Maxwell Richards and executed by attorney Andrew Johnson refers to an agreement of $54,400 a month for two years ($1.3 million) with a ten per cent increase for the third year if the lease was renewed, which would take the monthly rent to $59,840.

The two-year lease for the Goodwood Park house expires on November 1, 2010 and the clause in the lease about the ten per cent increase only comes into force if the Judiciary renews it, the Guardian said.

The paper said its sources have revealed the the new government is planning to buy a residence for use by the country's Chief Justice.