Email from Richard Sankar
TURKS & CAICOS
ISLANDS—MISUSE
OF POLITICAL
INFLUENCE
Until November 4, 2007, I lived on Providenciales,
Turks & Caicos Islands, for almost 11 years. In that entire
time I worked for Prestigious Properties which is majority owned
by the Premier's brother, Washington Misick (former Chief Minister
of the Turks & Caicos Islands); the Premier himself being
a minority shareholder.
In the fall of 2002, I applied for permanent
residence with the right to work and complied with the requirements;
because I was of significant financial benefit to the Misick family,
my application for permanent residence was opposed. As a result,
I realized that the only way I would ever be able to gain status
in the Turks & Caicos Islands was if I did not work for the
family. I tendered my resignation in order to allow myself the
opportunity to join a more non-partisan business which has resulted
in the addition of my name to a list of people that the Immigration
Department will not allow back into the country.
Shortly after the PNP came into power in 2002,
the real estate ordinance was amended to allow Prestigious Properties
to gain greater monopoly in the real estate industry by making
real estate brokers licenses 100% from 51% "belonger"
owned. This is a disadvantage to start up businesses in the industry
because "belongers" are unable to partner up with financially
beneficial "non-belongers" in order to gain entrance
into an oligopolistically competitive industry.
I was born in Trinidad and Tobago and became
a Canadian citizen in my 20s. I own several properties in the
Turks & Caicos Islands and I am a shareholder in two businesses.
The misuse of power by the Misick family and action taken against
me is unconscionable considering the contribution I have made
to their company and the country. I would like to be removed from
the stop list that prevents me entry into the Turks & Caicos
Islands and granted permanent residence status in the Turks &
Caicos Islands not only for my gain but also to prove to the citizens
and expatriates that justice can prevail in the country. I am
forced to run a TCI company (from abroad) in which I have invested
a large portion of my net worth.
SYNOPSIS
Prestigious Properties Graceway House Office
In the spring/summer of 2005 (after more than
eight years of service to Prestigious Properties), the business
I was generating through my various advertising campaigns and
referrals from past customers had grown to the point that I needed
two personal assistants to support the inquiries and subsequent
transactions. There was limited space at the old Prestigious Properties
office so I first approached Washington about setting up a branch
office but he refused. I subsequently approached Clive Stanbrook
to rent space at Graceway House at my expense. Clive was unwilling
to rent space to me but choose to discuss my request with Washington
and who subsequently agreed to the set up under the following
terms:
— Prestigious Properties gave me $15,000
for improvements to the space; I spent an additional $5,000 on
the improvements.
— Prestigious Properties was responsible
for the monthly rent and utilities.
— I purchased the furniture and equipment
and it was understood that this was my property. As with all agents
at Prestigious Properties, they are expected to have their own
computer equipment. For example, when Ms Laverne Skippings left
Prestigious Properties to work for Dellis Cay she was not asked
to give her laptop to Prestigious Properties and/or provide an
assurance that any files she may have had pertaining to the business
were deleted—which is basically what Washington is now asking
me to do. For the ease of functioning as a branch office, all
files were scanned and e-mailed to head office creating a paperless
environment. This may become an issue of intellectual property
law because I own the hardware that the files are stored on and
unwilling to give an assurance that all files have been deleted.
— I paid for my support staff and advertising;
there was no benefit given for my increase in expenses in order
to make the additional income for my broker.
RESIGNATION
Washington's claim that I did not approach him
about my move is incorrect because in mid-September 2007 I spoke
with the Sales Manager, Rob McLean about my impending resignation
and requested a meeting with Washington to discuss and engineer
a graceful, mutually beneficial transition. I never got a response
from Rob regarding a meeting nor did Washington call me to discuss
my move. In an effort to keep the communication open, in mid-October
2007 I called Karen Misick who is a director of Prestigious Properties
and discussed my resignation with her and my desire to move to
Tropical Paradise Realty.
In the last two weeks of October (realizing
there was no meeting in the horizon to discuss the transition)
I decided to add Ron Burton to all of my listings so the transition
would appear transparent to clients in case Washington decided
to terminate me from Prestigious Properties and cancel my Filogix
account (this is the Multiple Listing System used by the Turks
and Caicos Real Estate Association). There were two clients that
I did not get to before the meeting on November 2, 2007—Wymara
and Turquoise Ridge.
At 5.30 pm 1 November 2007 after a long day
on the road with clients, I received the attached disciplinary
letter from Washington demanding I meet at 10 am the next day
with the directors of Prestigious Properties. The tone of his
letter caused me to believe this was not going to be an easy transition
and that I may even be persecuted by Washington. I was concerned
that once I tendered my resignation Washington would lock me out
of the Prestigious Properties Graceway House office and seize
the contents which cost me in excess of $30,000. In an effort
to circumnavigate that event, I moved my furniture and equipment
into storage on the evening of 1 November 2007 and prepared myself
for what would come next.
At the meeting on 2 November 2007 I was allowed
to have two witnesses. I choose to bring Ron Burton and Peter
Crawford-Smith. I read my letter of resignation and thanked Washington
for the opportunity to work with him for almost 11 years. He said
that he would be lying if he did not say that I had made a significant
contribution to the company but that he would do whatever he could
to prevent me from obtaining status to work in the Turks and Caicos
Islands.
Later that day I received a call from Rob McLean
requesting my work permit—there would be no two week notice
period. Prestigious Properties then terminated my Filogix account
and because I was the only agent named on the Wymara listings
and co-named with Imelda Burke (whose Filogix account was also
terminated) on the Turquoise Ridge listings, those listings were
cancelled automatically by the system. The action taken by Prestigious
Properties resulted in those listings being cancelled on the system—there
was some subsequent confusion as to how the listing were cancelled
and I called Rob McLean and explained that it was a result of
their action. If I had chosen not to add Ron Burton to the other
listings, an action which with certainty proves that I did my
best not to take existing business away from Prestigious Properties,
all the listings would have been cancelled. A good example of
this occurred recently when Birdie Selver left Remax Elite to
start her own firm—her listings with Remax were all cancelled
by the system and she took them over with her.
I have complied to the best of my knowledge
with my Employment Contract and Multiple Listing Agreements. What
Washington wants back is my knowledge and expertise which cannot
be controlled and most certainly will not be contracted back to
him in the future. Mr Washington Misick has misused his relationship
with his brother, the Premier, Michael Misick (who is also 20%
shareholder of Prestigious Properties) and influence with civil
servants of the Turks & Caicos Government to prevent me entrance
into the Turks & Caicos Islands by illegally adding me to
a stop fly list.
13 December 2007
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