OBA: ‘The Loan Agreement Was Not So Savvy’

September 27, 2020

[Updated] “How can the Premier have been so gullible to have approved this dodgy-looking deal,” OBA candidate Patricia Gordon-Pamplin has asked.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin said, “The $800,000 loan was repayable over three years, which is around $22,000 a month, plus interest, from a so-called entertainment business that does not appear to have had any trading activity.

“How can a ‘non-business’ re-pay $22,000 a month?

“The Burt Administration has given money away to a non-Bermudian ‘music promoter’ whose company has no track record. How many other loans like this have been agreed by Premier David Burt?

The Premier’s recent ‘apology’ stated the $800,000 loan had security. From the Appendix to the contract, it appears that the “security” may have been the equipment Savvy planned to buy with the money.

“But where were the so-called assets that were supposed to secure the loan? Were they in Bermuda? Did the assets exist at all? The people’s money was just handed over to the promoter? Why?

“This money belongs to the people of Bermuda. How can the Premier have been so gullible to have approved this dodgy-looking deal? Let’s just hope this was incompetence and nothing more than that.”

“Not so savvy. We will do better,” Ms Gordon Pamplin concluded.

Update Sept 28, 8.20am: A PLP spokesperson said, “After Craig Cannonier said on Thursday’s ZBM News that he didn’t know him, today, it was revealed that Anthony Blakey & Danilee Trott’s SAVVY Entertainment was actually hired by the OBA’s America’s Cup promotional authority to bring internationally acclaimed soca artist KES the Band, Patrice and Ricardo Drew to Bermuda.

“Craig Cannonier claimed on the news on Thursday that he knew nothing of them. Well, maybe he didn’t – but, the America’s Cup organizers did. And so did former OBA Chairwoman & OBA Candidate Simone Barton who was pictured with Mr. Blakey & Ms. Trott.

savvy entertainement Bermuda Sept 28 2020 1 (1)

“If this company was so disreputable, with no connection to Bermuda and no experience in the country, as the OBA wants Bermudians to believe, then, why did their America’s Cup promotional authority trust him with a contract to bring KES the Band to Bermuda? How much was he paid? Where are the details of the contract?

“SAVVY Entertainment had experience in Bermuda and had done work in Bermuda with their Bermudian business partners. In addition to the work for AC35, SAVVY was also involved with the Annual Bermuda Fashion Festival receiving $235,000 from the corporation in 2019.

savvy entertainement Bermuda Sept 28 2020 1 (2)

“For the OBA to recycle the loan terms which were made public 16 months ago shows how desperate their campaign has become. The Party Leader has laid out the facts of this situation and steps have been taken to recover the funds and prevent a similar occurrence in the future. It is clear that the combined opposition are so desperate to create a scandal, they will do and say anything to stop the PLP.”

Update 12.50pm: OBA candidate Robin Tucker said, “I have been reading with interest the articles about Savvy Entertainment and, in particular the so-called apology from Premier David Burt.

“Why do I say so-called? Well, it appeared to be an apology but with so many caveats that it, effectively, was a non-apology.

“First of all, Premier Burt seemed to seek sympathy – he’s been working so hard doing the people’s work. With respect, someone with the title ‘Premier’, should be working hard and I congratulate him for doing so.

“He then seems to set about blaming everyone but himself.

“First, he blamed a media outlet for writing the story. Then he seems to say it was the OBA’s fault for restoring a beautiful building to its former glory.

“The Premier tries to justify giving $800,000 on the basis that there was a Bermudian partner.

“We were told the Bermuda Police Service was helping in the investigation into this missing money only for the BPS to say, ‘no’, we are not.

“And then the Premier blames civil servants for releasing the money even though it was money that was approved by his Cabinet.

“Nelson Mandela said, ‘It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.’

“It seems our Premier has done the opposite. He has put others in front of him when there is danger and frequently puts himself first when there is something to celebrate.

“Lastly, the Premier said, ‘the Government doesn’t give funds to foreigners to “build their dreams”.’ It seems that in this case, that was exactly what this money was for.”

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Comments (32)

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  1. Ringmaster says:

    Maybe a loan to allow Arbitrade to buy Victoria Hall using “gold assets” as collateral? Will someone press this point and find out the facts behind Victoria Hall?

    • Hope Berg says:

      Yes please. What are the facts?

      • Hey says:

        We need to know whether Burt was scammed on that building as well as Savvy. Also why were fast ferries And tugboats advertised for sale And then government said they should not have been advertised for sale in the public domain. The smell is getting bad very bad.

        Who profits from all this testing, Is the government getting the upside or is it private individuals, also how much , must be millions.

  2. Karayasatahala says:

    As public funds were utilized and squandered in this Savvy Deal; Common Law dictates full disclosure as to the name(s) of the illedged Bermudians involved.
    It is an inditment against the Government officials involved to not do so.

  3. Jus' Askin' says:

    AIRPORT DEAL!!!

    • Sandgrownan says:

      The airport deal actually looks really good right now if you could be bothered to understand the numbers.

    • WHAT? says:

      But this woman has nothing to say about the $185 million Morgans Point hotel her oba =UBPERSS signed off on. Now we tax payers have to pay it back. Go off and retire and take JETGATE Craig with you Oct 2nd.

      • Come Correct says:

        When you follow the obaUBP you’re bound to step in poop. Yes I still love him. But l’m not blinded by love comes to terms with Pamplin and her sheep dedication to these morons.

    • HAha says:

      Say no more LOLOLOL. She came back to help the ONE BROKEN ALLIANCE!

    • Black Soil says:

      The PLP blew up a hotel in St. George’s and did nothing after that. The OBA got a brand new one built. The PLP presided over a very expensive delapidated airport, the OBA got a new one built. The OBA won the America’s Cup (and it paid for itself!), the PLP watched in indignation knowing they could never have accomplished that goal. The PLP have wasted the better part of a hundred million on Grand Atlantic, and the taxpayer has seen nothing in return for that money pit. There’s the difference between both parties. If you pick PLP you deserve every bad deal you get…so don’t cry after the PLP increase the the FCPT to the point where it is a joke that one Bermuda dollar is the same as one USD. And when the PLP start canibalizing the economy and start attacking people instead of working with others to bring in investment into Bermuda, don’t act like the victim…the PLP voter is voting against their own interests.

    • wing nut says:

      Dockyard
      TCD
      Hospital WING
      Dockyard
      Berkely
      Court Building
      unaccounted for 800k
      Port Royal
      Add up those OVERRUNS

  4. PissAnt says:

    this smells like rat poo but then again so does 90% of any business dealing the the exceptional People Lie Party have dealt with. Business and ethics don’t seem to be in the vocabulary hence the way they operate.

  5. paul says:

    All I can say is this Premier should resign….

  6. Charlly X says:

    Well …… The two Honerable members need to come clean . One word comes to mind !!!! ACCOUNTABILITY ? EVEN if Corona didn’t exist it’s still a steep hill of repayment…. . Just loan or gimme 10% of that …..
    I’d pay off my debt n start up a business and pay my taxes !!! I’ll then be a success story they can talk about …. Giving a hand up to a son of the soil…

  7. Unbelievable says:

    I mean, why is the Bermuda Government giving out loans? When did it become a bank? This really is cause for concern.

    • Bermudian says:

      Its very concerning but unfortunately Bermuda has reached a point where politics trumps the betterment of a country. People could end up on the street begging for food and they will still support the PLP. Boggles the mind!

  8. The Green Door says:

    Any time a company is awarded a tender over $50,000.00 it has to be approved by Cabinet. Why does this not apply here?

  9. Pure Madness!!!! says:

    Why did the previous government, GIVE AWAY our airport… The Morgan’s Point deal was no better either… Just Saying, because you all are quick to downgrade this government but when the now Opposition was in power, did you have anything to say (eyes rolling)

    • sandgrownan says:

      Because Bermuda is broke.

      • Hey says:

        That too was as a result of overspending by the PLP.

        Wish people would do a little research and know the truth.

        The airport deal was a good deal for Bermuda and still is. The PLP could have purchase pandemic Insurance coverage In the last 3 years, but they didn’t. So that argument is moot.

        A similar process was used by the PLP to build hospital and now for the arbitration centre in town. Why aren’t people kicking up a fuss over them? It’s because those people have been suckered by the PLP emotional misinformation and division.

  10. I can't vote OBA this time says:

    Ms. Patricia Gordon-Pamplin I have a great deal of respect for you please don’t embarrass yourself or be used this way. As you say your people see the truth in the party you represent and I voted for once. Although the OBA needs your help as an opposition know when to play the right cards.

    This money you speak of is a far cry from the $20,000,000 million we have to pay for the airport and the $185,000,000 hotel at Morgans Point we have to slave for now. All which the OBA you represent signed in Bermuda blood.

    As a black Bermudian I did support you when you won the 2012 election I believe that Americas Cup was good for Bermuda despite what the PLP stated, but please madam know when to fight and know when to keep quite. Premier Burt tried to place a music studio in Bermuda for the young men and women that like recording. He got screwed and apologize to Bermuda.

    Mr. Cannonier has said nothing and frankly Bermudians white and black don’t trust him. I’m 100% sure you already know and should be honest with him. Yes Bermuda needs a Opposition but Mr. Cannonier needs to go. Good luck on Thursday to both PLP and OBA.

    • Want the best for Bermuda says:

      At least the airport is for all of Bermuda to enjoy and to better the views of our island. The old airport was a hazard, falling apart and in dire need of being replaced. HOW DOES THE TOTALLY NON TRANSPARENT GIVING AWAY ALMOST 1 MILLION TO ONE NON BERMUDIAN PERSON WITH NO GUARANTEES MAKE YOU FEEL OK?????? BUT, oh yay, its PLP so it’s totally ok. SMFH

  11. How Can the O.B.A be so gullible to make such a deal with our Airport, that they didn’t even include a legal protection clause, that would protect the tax payers from paying the exuberant amounts of money that we are forced to pay now, because of the negligence of a government that was more interested in their own private agenda, then the protection of the public purse.

    So please Ms. Pamplin, before picking on the Premier for $800,000.00, please let your O.B.A party deal with the one sided agreement that only the Canadian company is benefitting from, but we are being defrauded as a Country, all because of your political party, to the tunes of “MILLIONS OF DOLLARS” for over 30 plus years, What can be worse then this.

    • saud says:

      Gullible?

      LOL

      Arbitrade
      The Hospital
      missing $800M
      $800K and $1.2M give-aways

      Sit down and be quiet, you’ve had your turn.

      • Want the best for Bermuda says:

        The PLP can do no wrong. It’s only when OBA do things it’s wrong. PLP no matter what. You’ll be living homeless begging for food and still be chanting PLP all the way. Enjoy.

      • Unbelievable says:

        @saud, I know right? He loves to bloviate at length and go no place.

    • Ringmaster says:

      The airport deal was vetted by many outside entities, and Governments, and the contracts made public. The payments being made are because the airport was shut down, meaning no revenues but continuing expenses. What can be worse than this. Try the $1 billion being paid by taxpayers over 30 years for a hospital wing, not a hospital, contracted by the PLP but all financial details held in secrecy. Makes the airport deal look great.

    • Sandgrownan says:

      The numbers suggest that the airport is increasingly a good deal.

    • Hey says:

      The PLP could have bought appropriate pandemic insurance coverage in the last 3 years. They didn’t. These dollars are their fault. End of.

  12. Deep Bay Who says:

    Mr. Santucci, really? You really want to point fingers!
    First of all when the PLP took over from the UBP what did we owe? Do you remember, little to nothing. It was the PLP and their great deals that created our debt. Have you forgotten that the Berkley ProActive deal was $60 million over. Have you forgotten that your party forgave the BIU security and made a deal not to strike. How long did that last, how gullible was that? You forget about the $20+ million over for Port Royal.
    Keep in mind there was no new construction, All they did was move dirt around and they went $20+ million over budget! Maybe you forgotten the Grand Atlantic disaster and the tens of millions spent on that project that almost a decade later sold one unit and remains empty. How about the DLME Building? Forget about that one. Perhaps you want to talk about the brilliance of an Emissions Centre created at TCD that is yet to set a standard for an Emissions test meaning nobody fails? Hmmm who was awarded that contract again and how much did they profit over the years? Why don’t you take a drive to Sandys 360 and look at that great project. How many millions on what is now abandoned. What about Arbitrade and the billion dollars in gold that was being shipped here? Is it in the vault at Victoria Hall? LOL. Where is the tech hub at Southside that was coming! How many millions have been wasted on trips to endless conferences and tradeshows chasing your economy saving Fintech?

    How great of an idea was the Beyonce Concert that cost us $4 million that was going to have tourists flock here? Nice concert but how many tourists did you see there? Twenty, maybe thirty? Remember who got paid to do work at Dockyard that had to be gone over again the next year? No money wasted there!

    Remember the mold at TN Tatem that the PLP did not take care of while in government the first time. They then chastised the OBA because of the problem they inherited but could not fix themselves! So how did they fix it? They simply closed the school! However, this building that is unsafe is still being used and rented? How does that work?

    How is the airport deal ANY different than the hospital deal? Your own party is responsible for several disasters of its own. How many more SAVVY deals that are being hidden is still unknown.

  13. Joe Bloggs says:

    Everyone PLEASE stop acting surprised. The Dame Lois Browne-Evans Building contract had a guarantee and the PLP Government would not enforce it.

    Why do you think this is different?

    The PLP Government will do as it pleases, so sit down and shut up!

  14. Silence Do Good says:

    I am surprised no one has coined:

    Studiogate
    Musicgate
    Burtgate
    Savvygate