SATIIM Supports Forest Department’s Cease & Desist Order

As we reported on Monday, the Forest Department has issued a cease and desist order to Gary Seawell and a co-investor, halting logging operations in the vicinity of communal land owned by the residents of Crique Sarco.  In the wake of that directive, the Sarstoon and Temash Institute for Indigenous Management issued a release commend the department for the action being taken.  A statement from SATIIM confirms that consultations were held with the community regarding a private logging concession awarded to Seawell.  The release references the 2015 Consent Order by the Caribbean Court of Justice and also goes on to say that the free, prior and informed consent process was never followed during a meeting held on May twenty-first.  SATIIM reports that it also observed irregularities in the Private Forest Permit, PFP Number 13/21.  Seawell’s attorney, Arthur Saldivar, reached out to News Five today and has committed to speaking on his clients’ behalf on Wednesday.