Genchi – I don’t owe the government any money

Antonio Genchi, Managing Director of JT Yachting SVG Ltd, is contending that he does not owe the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines any money.{{more}}

According to an article which appeared in the January 20 issue of SEARCHLIGHT, it was reported that Genchi owed the government $58,284.97 since 2008.

This information was disclosed by Accountant General Ingrid Fitzpatrick as she testified at the Serious Offences Court in a matter involving Antonio ‘Que Pasa’ Gellizeau on Wednesday, January 18, 2012.

Fitzpatrick told the court that the government was unable to cash two cheques bearing Genchi’s name as they were returned by the bank owing to insufficient funds.

The first cheque according to Fitzpatrick was for $3,284.97, dated November 1, 2007, and the other for $55,000 and dated April 4, 2008.

She told the court that several calls had been made to Genchi, but no money was ever paid, and that the Commissioner of Police was written to, but that nothing had come out of it to date.

However, Genchi refutes the claim and says that he does not owe the government because there was a settlement in the matter.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that he was instructed to pay a sum of money to have a vessel released, which had previously been seized while a legal matter between Genchi and a local marina was ongoing.

“I gave the money to the court and they released the boat,” Genchi said, adding that he and the marina subsequently settled the matter out of court.

The Italian businessman said that he called the accountant general’s office and explained that seeing that the matter had already been dealt with, he was no longer required to pay the money for the release of the vessel. He then went ahead and stopped the cheque, he said.

He said that the funds were to be drawn from a St Lucian bank.

But Ronald Marks, lawyer and counsel for the marina, while agreeing that the matter had been settled, said that Genchi only paid the money when he realized that he may have been arrested for issuing a bad cheque.

Meanwhile Tamara Gibson-Marks, High Court Registrar, said that there was a matter in the court and that Genchi was supposed to pay a sum of money into the court.

“He paid with a cheque and I was subsequently informed by the relevant department that the cheques were not honoured,” Gibson-Marks explained.

“That is all I know,” she continued.

Gibson-Marks also confirmed that the vessel had already been released and that a bailiff had to be sent back to “re-arrest” the vessel.

She explained that generally in such situations, the money is paid to the Accountant General and then transferred to the person(s) to whom the money is owed. (DD)