THE chairman of Harcourt Developments, Pat Doherty, flew into Jersey for an emergency meeting with States Members yesterday to save the £330 million Esplanade Quarter deal.

Harcourt – the preferred developer for the Waterfront – has been accused of misleading the States over the Las Vegas lawsuit which has brought Jersey politics into disarray.

But when asked if his company deliberately failed to inform the Chief Minister and the Waterfront Enterprise Board about their lawsuit in Las Vegas, Mr Doherty said: ‘No lies were told to the States or WEB.’

And he hit back at opponents of the Waterfront, who he says are trying to derail the multi-million-pound project in Jersey.

The chairman said that Harcourt were not to blame for not informing the States about the Nevada lawsuit and warned some States Members to stop playing politics.

Referring to why they failed to inform Chief Minister Frank Walker and WEB about the lawsuit when asked before the Waterfront debate, Mr Doherty said: ‘When Pat Power was asked there was nothing served.

We told them yes, some people were making a claim. But two or three days later it was served. As far as we are concerned it does not bear any relation to the project.’

Mr Doherty said that in all of Harcourt’s 30 years in business, this was the first time that it had ever had to defend itself from political vilification.

‘The last week has been very annoying, with people making accusations of Harcourt which are false. We are property developers and we are open. We don’t do anything underhand in any way. We have been at this for 30 years and our developments speak for themselves,’ he said.

A political fallout erupted after the States approved the financial deal, which could give Harcourt the go-ahead to develop the £330 million Esplanade project.

But hours after agreeing to the deal, news of impending lawsuits against the company were revealed as well as confidential documents which struck a note of caution against their ability to handle the project.

But Mr Doherty said that his company had nothing to hide and said that the Dublin and Las Vegas lawsuits would have no impact on their ability to carry out their projects in Jersey.

He said that the claims being made by Las Vegas developers that they had allegedly committed fraud and corruption were totally false.

‘Nobody in their right mind would place a contract in Vegas at the moment where property prices have dropped 25 per cent, so we are waiting to see what the markets are going to be like.

That could be six months or a year. We will do the development when it suits us and when we think the market is right.

‘The market is collapsing. Only a complete idiot would go ahead and develop at the moment. So we said stop, but they said no, we want to continue.

‘I said OK, you can continue on your own and you won’t get any money from us. Simple as that – there
is nothing fraudulent on anyone.’

Concerns have also been raised about another lawsuit against Harcourt in Dublin which centres on developments in Jersey and London.

Last week the JEP revealed that three Irish businessmen, Peter Crean, Ivor Fitzpatrick and Andrew Kenny, were suing Harcourt in Dublin because they claim that they own half the rights to develop the Esplanade.

But Mr Doherty again said that Liberty Wharf and the Esplanade Quarter were 100 per cent financed by Harcourt.

‘If you own 50 per cent, then you put 50 per cent of the money in,’ he said. ‘They don’t have a penny in this.’
The soft-spoken Donegal man said that he would have no problem with the States of Jersey looking at the Dublin lawsuit in more detail.

‘Legal disputes do happen but not in this scenario. This is about somebody who is looking for something for nothing.

‘They are putting no money into it. If you go in to buy a suit and you get to the cashier you have to pay for it – you get it.

‘But if you don’t pay for it you don’t get it. It is as simple as that. We have nothing to hide. We are developers. We play straight and we don’t try to come in the back door. We are developers and we are good at it.’

Asked what Harcourt would do if they did not get the contract to develop the Esplanade, Mr Doherty said: ‘We will take it up when it happens. We are the developers and we haven’t done anything wrong or said anything wrong.

‘This is all about some Members playing politics. It is as simple as that.’

*Picture: Pat Doherty and Pat Power