SleepIn owners optimistic of picking up on investment

…after court orders Gaming Authority to process casino application

After being delayed by the Gaming Authority and with millions of dollars in investments at stake, SleepIn proprietor Clifton Bacchus took his fight to the High Court and prevailed on Tuesday last.

Now that the battle is over, Bacchus’ lawyer, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, has assured that his client is optimistic and ready to pick up where he left off, should the Gaming Authority process and grant him his casino licence.
In an interview with this publication, Nandlall noted that the law is on their side and there is no reason why the Authority cannot process his client’s application.
He pointed out that hundreds of jobs for young people, as well millions of dollars in taxes and investments into the economy, were being held up for no good reason by the Gaming Authority.

“The investment is a multi-billion [venture]. The machines were all imported and had to be sent back to Suriname. Over 300 persons, who were already trained to work in the casino, they are still awaiting jobs. One would have thought that these are factors that would have galvanised the Gaming Authority to process the application and grant the license.”
The legal requirements, he said, have all been met and his client has complied with all the demands set out to him.
“So I don’t know what is the reason for the delay. But hopefully, now that the courts have ordered the application to be processed, it will be processed and the application will be granted… we can see no reason why it should not be granted. All the information they requested, we supplied… everything is ready, it’s just to bring in back the machines into the country.”

According to Nandlall, the information they were requested to provide includes the sources of funding and tax records of the Directors. He expressed regret that they had to move to the courts in the first place, but recalled the delays and foot-dragging between his client’s first and second applications, despite constant checks at the Authority.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to resort to the courts for redress. As far as I am aware, the applicant complied with all the requirements… the second application was filed, correcting the deficiencies identified in the first application. Three years passed and we weren’t hearing anything from the Gaming Authority.”
“We were forced to file these proceedings. After we filed these proceedings, we got multiple requests for more information. We supplied that information again and the court has now ordered them to process our application. If we didn’t file these proceedings, we would not have known more information was being requested,” Nandlall added.
Bacchus’ struggles are well documented. He entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) back in 2015, before the Government changed hands, that catered for SleepIn to be awarded a Casino Operator’s Licence for its branch on Church Street.
The building, which has over 150 rooms, conference halls, restaurants and naturally, casino slot machines, was subsequently constructed. SleepIn then applied to the Gaming Authority in 2016 for its license, reportedly paying a fee of $9 million in the process.
Months later, it received correspondence from the Authority that its casino operator and premises licence applications were refused. Gaming Authority Chairman Roysdale Forde had subsequently alluded in sections of the press to financial deficiencies in SleepIn’s applications as the reason for turning them down.
Bacchus’ lawyer, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, took the gaming authority to court a few months ago in a bid to have them step in and ensure the Authority processes Bacchus’ application.
After the case was heard by Justice Fidela Corbin, she ordered on December 17, 2019, that the Gaming Authority process and consider SleepIn’s application or a Casino Premises Licence and a Casino Operator’s Licence.