The Department of the Environment is taking Dion Zabaneh to court. As we have reported, last week Zabaneh started filling parcel #4670 Buttonwood Bay - the titled property of his mother Primrose Gabourel. It just happens to be in the sea at the western end of Seashore drive in Buttonwood Bay.
But - even if you overlook the fact that the seabed cannot be sold - any over-sea construction requires environmental clearance. And he doesn't have that. That's why the Department Of the Environment issued a cessation order and went to serve it on him this weekend. But Zabaneh refused to accept the order and just kept on working - with truckload after truckload streaming in all weekend - right through to Monday.
So the DOE is taking him to court and the papers were filed on Monday. Today we spoke to Deputy Chief Environmental Officer Edgar Ek about this evolving seashore situation.
Edgar Ek, Deputy Chief Environmental Officer
"On Friday we issued a stop order both verbal and written because a situation evolving there, we were forced to go straight to the court and issued the court orders for him to be able to stop doing what he is doing. The issue that we are looking at is conducting an activity without getting environmental clearance from the department."
"It is not only approval from the department of environment, he needs approval from other entities as well within the government service but yes we are looking at our aspect of it which is having environmental clearance for an activity like that which requires clearance from the department."
Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"I understand he is still filling though, he is not respecting the stop order."
Edgar Ek
"We understand he is doing that today in fact we will go and monitor the situation but just for information that everyday that he does that it counts as an additional offense so when we go to court. We will impress on that as well."
CEO in the Ministry of Environment Percival Cho tells us that Zabaneh is being charged for failure to comply with an enforcement notice, commencing an undertaking without environmental clearance and for obstruction and assault of an officer. The CEO notes that each day of continued work is a separate offence under the law. Nonetheless, work continued on Monday and Tuesday - and while they took a break today - as it stands this evening, the lot is substantially filled.
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