Former Chukka Belize Partner Accuses Company of Vandalism
This afternoon, police investigators went to a tourist park known as Big Hill at mile 9 on the Coastal Road. The owner, Tom Wilson is claiming that his property was vandalized.
But, it's not some random act of lawlessness - he's accusing his former partners, Chukka Tours of vandalizing the property they once shared.
That was until both sides agreed to terminate the contract recently - and Chukka undertook , in writing, to remove everything they had put in, right down to the toilet fixtures.
Wilson told police in a complaint that they went too far, beyond what was agreed. But tonight Chukka's country manager is defending her company's actions; she says they only took out what they put in.
Here's the interview she gave the media today:..
Valerie Woods, Country Manager - CHUKKA Belize
"We did not vandalize. The fact of the matter here guys is very simple - it's a landlord and tenant situation and the landlord had nothing on the property when the tenant came. The tenant put pretty much everything on that property including the very road that one drives on to utilize the property - hundreds of thousands of dollars alone for the road. We removed all items that were ours and this was stated clearly. Were doors removed? Yes. Were toilets and urinals removed? Yes - all those that would have resulted of breakage of tiles which we had agreed to. Were sheets of zincs removed? yes because those are ours and we could use them at the other locations where we do business as well. We can recycle the use of those."
"Several things were removed but it wasn't vandalism in any stretch of the imagination. Should he chose to do that or I believe you are suggesting that he lodge some police report - then we will deal with it as we would with any other police report lodge against anybody."
"This should be of no surprise to Mr. Wilson. This is a just a case of a landlord and a tenant, we continue to have relationship with him on other areas. The generator that was purchase under the company through the company - he did offer to purchase the generator. However we need the generator for the other location as well."
Jules Vasquez
"They also say (not Mr. Wilson) that you broke the stairs at the launch of the zipline - that CHUKKA's people broke the stairs at the launching area for the zipline."
Valerie Woods
"We did no such thing. There are several pieces of lumber and different things that we utilize in our other location and we simply took those out - they are very good pieces of lumber that we can utilize - very good pieces of material that we can utilize, we did no such thing."
Jules Vasquez
"CHUKKA tore down walls, remove zinc roofing as discuss, broke pipes, dislodge toilets and also dismantle a gift shop, two bars, three bathrooms, a generator room and the zipline in the caves. Are those all under the MOU even?"
Valerie Woods
"Yes, every single thing."
Jules Vasquez
"Even the tearing down of walls?"
Valerie Woods
"Every single asset there that was listed is ours to remove - everyone. Although we did not break pipes, we did not do that one, but every single asset. In terms of a gift shop - we literally closed it down, let's not get carried away - it's a thatch - a palapa - and we dislodge and dismantled everything connected to that housed the different things that we had there as merchandise. Yes we took down all lines, all ropes. Yes we removed toilets and urinals - not all because we did not removed those that would have resulted in breakage of the tiles as was the request of the landlord, so we did not do those. We took down any asset that was ours that we could take - we took."
Jules Vasquez
"For the avoidance of doubt - you took this approach because you didn't want to leave any structure that would be suitable for a competitor to take over as a turn-key operator?"
Valerie Woods
"Yes we are in matter of business - we took our assets to ensure that we have all our assets on the properties that we are operating on and that yes that no other person/s could easily utilize our assets to conduct a tour of their own - that's up to them if they want to but not with our assets. The gates were ours but we didn't remove that."
Wilson told us his attorney has advised him not to speak to the media at this time. As Woods noted, Chukka and Tom Wilson still have active contracts and ongoing business arrangements.
FECTAB On Chukka Bz: "I Told You So..."
And the reason they have those arrangements is because they used to be business partners.
In fact, it's Tom and Yvette Wilson who first brought Chukka to Belize as minority shareholders in their company Bakkabush Tours.
If that name sounds familiar, it should. In 2010, because of that Chukka partnership, Bakkabush was the principal target of FECTAB. And targets they were, with the Wilson's even receiving death threats and suffering damage to property.
Since then, the partnership has dissolved, Bakkabush's operations have been absorbed into Chukka Belize, and, Chukka has arranged to purchase the Wilson's shareholdings.
All that background is important because tonight it comes right back to FECTAB. Though they bashed Wilson when he was in business with Chukka in 2010, tonight, they are coming to his rescue - if only to illustrate what they've been saying all along - that Chukka has no friends in Belize.
The FECTAB threesome came to our studio this morning and here's how they explained the turn of events and their shifting alliance:..
Yhony Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"Jules, I've been noticing CHUKKA from the very first moment of having my own enemies - even Tom Wilson who we are defending today - he was once upon a time my worst enemy. He almost came on record to say that I have something with him personally. If it is true that CHUKKA had break more than what they were supposed to breaking at Mr. Tom Wilson place - it is the same truth we are bringing out today is the same thing that will happen at Jaguar Paw because remember they dint buy anything - they only lease and rent. If they get mad with NICH or government they will do the same thing."
Jules Vasquez
"It's Tom Wilson who brought CHUKKA into Belize."
Yhony Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"Yes absolutely true."
Jules Vasquez
"And here you are now saying poor Tom."
Tom Greenwood, President - FECTAB
"We are not saying poor Tom. If they do it to Tom what else are they going to do to us."
David Almendarez - "Cave Tubing R Us"
"Guys we've been ringing the alarm for a long time. What happened to Mr. Wilson is just another drop in the bucket. What we are telling the government and everybody - we need to pay attention to this company. They moved up their ranks in BTIA, they had done a lot of things strategically placing themselves to not only be number one but to do the Wal-Mart effect - stifle out everybody else in the business. The same thing that has been happening to Tom Wilson has been happening to us for years. The same pressure he is going through is the same pressure we are going through. We are saying its time to call an ace an ace - CHUKKA Tours is coming to suck us dry."
"What has happen to Tom Wilson is to show you exactly the type of person CHUKKA Tour is. These guys will move in until they need you and when they don't need you anymore they totally wipe their hands and destroy you in the process."
Tom Greenwood, President - FECTAB
"Now, we hope the Belizean people will see who are the real bad boys in this situation. At the Princess when I read the Florida/Caribbean Cruise Association booklet in which CHUKKA has bought a whole page and I read a part of it that clearly indicated to me what I knew they were - that is that it looks like these guys are here to take over and I flung the book. It was something to bring effect and I flung the book away and I warned and I said these people are not good news - we were going to end up in problems and problems we ended up in."
"This latest incident only proves that we are right. CHUKKA Cove has to leave this country, period!"
Chukka Bz Boss Unfazed By Fectab
And so while FECTAB is saying "I told you so�" and pal-ing up to Tom Wilson, Chukka's country manager isn't impressed.
She says it's all an arrangement of convenience which she won't entertain:..
Valerie Woods, Country Manager - CHUKKA Belize
"Ladies and gentlemen, I simply will not dignify the ranting of FECTAB because they have a personal vendetta against those who own CHUKKA and obviously I am the face of CHUKKA Belize and so they transcended that to myself."
"I will not simply go away because they don't like me and I will not go away because they don't like CHUKKA. We are not doing anything wrong. We continue to employ Belizeans, we continue to do so."
Jules Vasquez
"How to you view the whole thing in so far as the fact that FECTAB whose original mandate is to demonize Wilson, BAKKABUSH Tours and CHUKKA who were partners is now an advocate for Tom Wilson against CHUKKA?"
Valerie Woods
"I don't know whose terms is this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend.""
Jules Vasquez
"Do you see how they handled Tom Wilson's property - then the extension is made - what wouldn't they do to any of us or to anyone else. This is the brutish way that CHUKKA operates, that's what your opponents are saying - this illustrates it. How do you respond to that?"
Valerie Woods
"There are many supplies and many employees of this company that can demonstrate otherwise of how CHUKKA Belize operates or even how CHUKKA operates. Our former partners Mr. Wilson has not brought any of this personally to my attention. It's a matter of utilizing a voice piece - the noise makers which everybody knows, FECTAB to his advantage because we did not leave the property intact so that another tour company could simply where we left off."
Of note is that Valerie Woods was elected Vice President of BTIA last week Thursday - after a quite vicious campaign against her - which included smear posters stapled to lamp-posts on the day of the election.
Channel 7