Last week, the Turks and Caicos Islands government served civil proceedings on the Progressive National Party (PNP) seeking the recovery of the land upon which the PNP headquarters building is constructed, together with damages, including an order to pull down and destroy the structure.
The claim arises from the PNP’s alleged trespass following its construction of its headquarters on Airport Road, Providenciales, on Crown land to which, the government claims, it had, and has no title.
According to a government press release on Tuesday, after construction of its headquarters in 2005/6, the PNP subsequently appointed a management agent, Provident Management Services Ltd, to manage the property. During the last elected administration prior to the imposition of direct rule by Britain, Provident is said to have sub-leased six offices in the headquarters to PNP MPs for a total of $465,083.61 over approximately three years, which was paid by the government. The government seeks the return of that sum, to which Provident was not entitled together with other damages.
The government said it is seeking a number of remedies for the alleged trespass:
• damages for the PNP’s trespass on the land, based on a reasonable annual rent until possession of the land is returned to the Crown;
• the repayment of the $465,083.61;
• an order that the headquarters are pulled down and destroyed;
• damages for returning the land to its former state; and
• interest and costs
