At the top of the newscast, you heard Information Minister Godfrey Smith explain that government hopes to conclude the sale of its BTL shares by the end of the week. The principal player in the acquisition is the much discussed E-com. Government has openly presented it as an Ashcroft Company but if we are to believe public pronouncements and sworn statements in court, it is a charitable trust - a far, but well meaning relation to the proto-capitalist Michael Ashcroft. But is it really? We today dug into the register of companies to find out who and what is behind E-com. Here's what we found.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
A press release printed in last week's Amandala claims that E-com is owned by a charitable trust dedicated to the poverty alleviation. That release is attributed to Director Jose Alpuche, who also swore to an affidavit in court that says basically the same thing. And more than that, when we spoke to him on Monday, this is what Michael Ashcroft said,
Michael Ashcroft,
[Monday July 4th, 2005] "E-com is a wholly owned subsidiary of a Belizean owned charitable trust, who has a number of charitable objectives in its memorandum."
Well our research in the Register of Companies found no proof to substantiate that claim. If there is any charitable trust, it is not - by any available record - Belizean owned.
The Register of Companies shows that as of March 23rd., E-com is in fact owned by two companies registered in the British Virgin Islands, called North-Town and South-Town - who are also the only directors. Jose Alpuche, contrary to his public pronouncement and sworn affidavit is no longer a director of record of E-com.
And just who is North-Town and South-Town? Well, we'd have to be able to access the companies register in the British Virgin Islands to tell you that exactly but what we do know is that they are Ashcroft affiliated companies. That Ashcroft affiliation becomes clear when one looks to see who are the owners and directors of other Ashcroft companies with holdings in BTL.
The notorious Pillow Talk company - the directors and owners are the same North Town and South Town, and Ashcroft's Mercury Communications, that's also owned and directed by North Town and South-Town. And those same North-Town and South-Town are presumably the so-called "charitable trust" that owns E-com.
We don't know what those companies objectives are, but we do know that E-com states plainly that it is to purchase and acquire....telecommunication systems...and. to carry on the business of a telephone...communications company.
It has all the appearances of a not too tidily constructed corporate ruse - cleaver name changing, playing on the guise of philanthropy, while playing for keeps in the bigger game of corporate control.
