And one case the government will definitely need some very senior counsels for is the pending matter of the settlement costs with the Ashcroft Alliance. In September 2015, Barrow met with Ashcroft and agreed to settle the BTL acquisition case - but it came at a dear cost - almost half a billion dollars. But, now, that could go up by many millions more, because he also agreed to pay Ashcroft's legal costs. The bill for that is reportedly being submitted this week - and it's huge. Barrow told us he will fight it:...
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"What is the quantum of that? We're told it is in the many scores of millions of dollars?"
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Well so I've heard. No question at all, but that we will challenge the quantum. You're right the settlement agreement does provide for the Ashcroft Alliance to recoup its expenses. I don't see that that's a blank cheque and I have no doubt, given what's been said by The Alliance, that the claim with which we will be confronted is going to be horribly inflated. I think that it will constitute an attempt to recoup what the Alliance has not been able to procure by way of the arbitration award judgements in the United States. So there is no doubt at all that this matter will go back before the CCJ."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"However it's you who agreed to pay those legal costs and you know it's like agreeing to pay an alcoholic's bar tab, when you talk about Mr. Ashcroft and legal fees."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I repeat that the whole issue of what is fair and what is legitimate in terms of what can be claimed we accept as we must that there are expenses that we in fact must reimburse, but the fundamental issue of quantum is very much in play. There is no way this was an agreement to pay any at large sum that the alliance's imagination could conjure up, and so, back to the CCJ."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Do you know the figure sir, the quantum?"
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"No, no, it's not been formally received yet although I gather it's imminent, but we do know, as you say that it's going to be huge, it's going to be absolutely in my mind, unjustifiably, unsustainably inflated and so we are going to challenge."
We'll keep following the use to find out what those total legal costs are - but its safe to say its in the many tens of millions.
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