THE Waterfront Enterprise Board director says that the board has ‘nothing to hide’ and that it did all the necessary checks on developer Harcourt in light of recent revelations about a Las Vegas lawsuit.

Stephen Izatt (pictured) said that it was Harcourt’s responsibility to inform WEB of any court action that they felt would have an impact on the project in Jersey.

‘Harcourt is required to let us know about any material action that would affect its ability to undertake the developments in Jersey,’ he said.

‘We have absolutely nothing to hide. I am very comfortable that we have performed all the due process that is required of us.

‘The onus is on Harcourt to inform us and if they inform us of any action that is material then clearly we would need to consider the gravity of that,’ he said.

Mr Izatt said that he first heard formally about the Las Vegas lawsuit via Chief Minister Frank Walker, who had been sent some information from St Brelade Deputy Sean Power.

He contacted Harcourt director Pat Power who responded by e-mailing him and Senator Walker on 20 May saying that ‘the complaint to date has not been served on our Nevada subsidiary and it cannot be served on Harcourt Development Ltd or any other Irish entities as they are not parties to the agreement and are outside of the jurisdiction’.

Despite a lawsuit being filed on 30 April against the Irish-based firm, it has reassured Islanders that these disputes will have no bearing on what is achieved in Jersey.

‘Harcourt is 100 per cent committed to the delivery of a world-class waterfront development of which the Island can be proud,’ said Mr Power earlier this week.

Mr Izatt maintains that they did all the necessary checks and will continue to handle this in an appropriate manner.

‘We have been assured by Harcourt and we are using our own lawyers to make independent checks. We are still talking to Harcourt and progressing negotiations on the Esplanade Quarter.

‘We need to finalise any necessary legal agreement which we will not complete yet.

‘We are undertaking other checks and we are having another financial capacity audit done with the full co-operation of Harcourt,’ he said.

‘In the light of what has happened and given the confusion, we have asked Carey Olsen to do further checks on the litigation.

‘There has been a lot of frenzy, but one hopes that reality will see through this.’