Investors and Contractor in Dangriga Market Scandal join forces to sue SIF

The recent corruption scandal involving former employees of the Social Investment Fund and the construction of the Dangriga Municipal Market has been overshadowed by the immigration scandal which is rocking the Barrow administration.  Bubbling below the radar, however, is an unlikely partnership between contractor Kenard Smart, Lyndon Bailey and Gush and Emy Ramirez.  According to Bailey, the trio is joining forces to sue SIF in an effort to recover their money.

Lyndon Bailey, Investor

“We tried our best to see how we can settle things out of court, but apparently we might have to go that route. So everything is in the lawyers hands so shortly you will be hearing from us. We will be filing suit in the court shortly.”

Reporter

“I understand that you are joining up…yourself, Miss Emy Ramirez as well as Kenard Smart himself to fight this.”

Lyndon Bailey

Lyndon Bailey

“Well we believe that if we come together, we can accomplish on that. We can received our monies back if we take this thing to the court.”

Reporter

“Tell us about you making that investment and did you really feel that at that point in time that it was a viable one to make?”

Lyndon Bailey

“It was a good investment, but we didn’t know what was going on behind the scene and hence the reason why we ended up in that situation. But we just went in with a good heart to try to help this guy to finish the market for the people in Dangriga and as well as helping SIF because SIF was having some problems with that project.”

Reporter

“But sir, should your qualm be with actually Mister Kenard Smart and not SIF because of course it was him that you guys invested in and not SIF per say?”

Lyndon Bailey

“Well we know the type of guy Mister Kenard Smart is, but at the same time we were putting our money in the project, we believed that we had enough security because of SIF, [which is] supposed to be a reputable company. And we believed that we would have got our money back out any how even though we knew Mister Smart was in some financial trouble. Hence the reason why we didn’t put our money in his hand, we put it in the project. If the money goes into the project, it has to come out back through SIF. And there is where we believe and Mister Raymond had said to me that don’t worry, he will make sure that we receive our money back. So we tried, but because of the collusion that was within SIF, I think that this is the reason why the project went that way.”

Smart, the contractor of the unfinished Dangriga Marketplace, claimed that he was extorted by the employees of SIF who were subsequently fired.