Threatening to create chaos on the flight, businessman Desmond 'DA' Alphonso is not prepared to leave the British Virgin Islands without a fight to have certain demands met before he is deported to his native Guyana.He is demanding more time on the territory to sort out things in relation to his business, the BVI Platinum News Online.
DA should have departed the BVI around 7 AM Sunday on a LIAT flight and arrive in Guyana at 2 AM.
However, he refused to do so, contending that he was not given sufficient time to get his business documents in order and that he is going Guyana, a place he has not visited since he left as a child.
The businessman said if his demands for more time are not met, he will be seeking to return to Guyana on a chartered flight.
This morning at about 5:30 am, Alphonso refused to be taken from the Road Town Police Station by Police and Immigration Officers, who were set to escort him to the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
According to BVI Platinum News sources, Alphonso also told authorities that he will create a disturbance on the flight if he is not placed on a chartered flight or given the opportunity to sort out his business.
Lawyer Vernon Malone was also at the Police Station meeting with the hierarchy of the Police force and Immigration Department on the matter
on behalf of DA. However, Malone told BVI Platinum News that he does not wish to comment on the matter. He did confirm that Alphonso is still being held at the station in Road Town.
"I am not aware of any details with respect to his removal. You will have to get that from Mr. Fraser, the head of Immigration or the Deputy Governor because I am not at liberty to talk about it...As a matter of fact, I do not know of any of the details and I expect to be advised...Yes he is [on island]; I left him at the Road Town Police Station," Malone told BVI Platinum News when contacted.
Meanwhile, at the airport, family, friends and workers of DA's businesses were all there waiting for him to arrive at the airport. However, at 7:00 am it was obvious that he was not coming and the word later got around that he was putting up a resistance at the station.
And Virgin Islands News Online reported that Alphonso has threatened to create chaos on the aircraft, and the safety of the other passengers had to be taken into consideration.
"We could not risk that because the airline could have been sued," a source told VINO.
VINO quoted the unnamed source say saying that officials there hoped to resolve the issue this week.
VINO was reliably informed, he was picked up a little before 5 p.m. According to sources, immigration officers went to Mr. Alphonso's Fish Bay residence around 4:30 pm but he was not there. However, officials are tight-lipped as to where he was apprehended.
This means that the Guyanese citizen, who is in his 40s, lost his legal battle about being deported. The decision was made by the Governor Boyd McCleary.
On May 26, 2011, Governor McCleary had told VINO that "it [the decision] is something that I have to review very closely, so I will be taking my time."
He also revealed that DA's legal team and the Attorney General's office had provided convincing arguments and "a lot of documents" during a hearing that was held on Friday, May 20, 2011.
As first reported by VINO, six character witnesses gave glowing testimonies to Mr. Alphonso's character. For the deportation proceeding, he was represented by Stephen Daniels. Efforts to contact Mr. Daniels proved futile.
DA first landed in hot water after he was charged and ultimately spent four years in prison for harbouring three murderers.
In addition to that, while DA was found not guilty of killing one of the murderers – Marlon Bailey, his reputation has taken a blow. The Guyanese born businessman has been living in the Virgin Islands for over 40 plus years, and has belonger's status.
But according to the Immigration and Passport Act of 2000, section 19, it states, "The Governor in Council after consulting with the board can revoke a certificate of residence or any endorsement thereon on the grounds that the person to who it relates:
- Subsequent to the grant of such certificate has been ordinarily resident outside the Territory continuously for a period of three years.
- Has in any country been sentenced to imprisonment for a criminal offence for a term of one year or more.
- Has so conducted himself that is not in the public interest that he shall continue to enjoy the privileges conferred by the certificate.