Lennox Linton emphatically defends UWP’s Initiative to allow an American company to register ships

​Opposition Leader Lennox Linton emphatically defends the UWP’s actions regarding a signed agreement to give jurisdiction to an American company to register ships. On 25th January 2018, Senior Counsel Tony Astaphan, blamed the former United Workers Party (UWP) Administration, for an international matter involving a Dominica-flagged ship, allegedly involved in United Nations sanctions.
 
Recently the Japanese Government has made a report to the UN that the ship, the ‘Yuk Tung, is suspected to have breached UN Security Council sanctions. It was allegedly spotted by a Japanese patrol plane tied to the North Korean-flagged tanker ‘Rye Song Gang 1, which was blacklisted by the United Nations last month for carrying banned cargo.
 
Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit also gave an official statement on the issue, on DBS radio Monday Morning.

​Linton says he does not understand the Prime Minister’s stance on this issue, and in any event, The UWP Administration’s Maritime Act initiative signed on 18th October 1999 by then Finance Minister Julius Timothy, was established in an effort to attract significant revenue to Dominica.

​Additionally, Linton revealed that Parliamentary records which quoted by then Finance Minister Ambrose George, confirming that the UWP Maritime initiative was not in effect in 1999, but was brought into effect by the DLP administration when they assumed office; and therefore, there was no legislation in place under which the act could come have into effect. The Labour party took on the initiative, and created the necessary legislation to make it operational.

UWP Leader Lennox Linton