6 FEBRUARY 2022 – The Board of Directors of Arbeedee Limited[1], as the sole legal steward of Hampstead Estate, takes seriously its fiduciary responsibilities to all shareholders and seeks to act in the best interests of the company as a whole. The Board of Directors regrets that a group of individuals were summoned by the Court to answer charges of trespassing on Hampstead Estate. Our company did not approve that action. Any individual shareholder who wishes to safeguard the assets of the company must do so through the Board of Arbeedee Limited.

Our company’s mission statement has always been – “To generate sustainable growth, to further the development begun by our parents, to honour their work and to preserve their legacy by building superior value for our shareholders, our workers and our communities”. In addition, Environmental Stewardship is one of our core values and we commit, therefore, to responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices.

It has always been our policy, therefore, that access to the river should not be restricted and that visitors abide by basic rules that maintain the natural environment free of litter, pollution, and other forms of environmental degradation. We hope therefore that any further dialogue on this matter be constructive, respectful, decent and courteous.

We acknowledge that as we strive for development of our company and work assiduously at making Dominica an attractive place in which to live, invest and work, that some of our individual behaviours and practices must change. This process of bringing about the desired change is slow and calls for considerable patience, humility and understanding, both by our communities and our company.

[1] Arbeedee Limited was formed in 1991 when all beneficiaries of the late R B Douglas chose to transfer all bequeathed assets into a private limited company. Arbeedee Limited is therefore the proprietor of Hampstead Estate and all assets previously owned by R B Douglas.