~Petition and protests to be organised~
MARIGOT--There were clear indications over the weekend from the Italian-American business partners of the troubled Key Restaurant on Pinel Island that the restaurant will be demolished as early as the end of this month, putting up to nine employees out of work and resulting in a loss of up to a million dollars worth of investment.
Vice-President of the Community Council number two Emile Larmonie said a petition and other protest actions will be organised from today onward in an attempt to save the restaurant. He added he and the owners were informed by the Pr�fecture last week of the demolition procedure.
The 50-seater restaurant has been mired in a long-running court case, convictions and subsequent appeals, over its legality on the island since 2007. No building permit has ever been granted despite repeated attempts by the American owners to conform to all the legal requirements.
The Collectivit� stated in writing that no building permit can be issued for Pinel Island as it is in a non-constructible zone yet the restaurant has been able operate on the strength of an Autorisation d'Occupation Temporaire (AOT). The AOT was renewed since 2009 because of the court cases.
The business operates under the company name LCM comprising three partners, Catherine Randazzo, her daughter Maria Bartolomeo, and original partner Leonie Larmonie who was in possession of the AOT.
The Randazzos claim Leonie Larmonie originally talked them into investing in the restaurant on the basis Larmonie had all the necessary permits and authorisation which turned out to be far from the truth. As a result a ten-year friendship between Larmonie and the Randazzos went sour and Larmonie stepped away from the business.
"Leonie is still an associate but she walked away and abandoned the company in 2007," said Randazzo. "In the beginning we trusted her. I didn't find out until after the restaurant was being built that her lawyer was her brother-in-law. He put a clause in the articles of corporation that said I can't do anything even though I own two-thirds of the company and Leonie one third."
"She never put any money into it because of the way they drew up the corporation. Seventy-five percent of the shares I can never get. Because of this I've been going to lawyers and accountants."
Randazzo (62) meanwhile has continued to pay her financial obligations connected with the restaurant including the turnover tax, salaries, a monthly fee of 4,000 euros to R�serve Naturelle, and even 15,000 euros to an architect in an attempt to get a building permit.
"Leonie gets all my mail so by the time I get the mail I am paying marshals and lawyers who come to collect. I have no more money to pay. I'm tired. She's sitting at home causing all these problems. My husband and I come to work and try to put on a smile. But everything we try to do is blocked. The R�serve doesn't like us."
Randazzo said she is also stuck with a $35,000 wood burning pizza oven that was intended to be used on an upper floor of the restaurant, but authorities disallowed the floor to be built. Because of delays caused by appeals and postponements it appears demolition is now imminent.
Leonie Larmonie was originally ordered by the court in 2009 to destroy the restaurant and was convicted of building without a permit and employing three undeclared workers. She was handed a 9,775 euro fine and a 50 euro penalty per day if the restaurant was still up by the three month deadline. But no demolition took place.
The Randazzos said they knew nothing of Larmonie's conviction as they were not notified by anyone and only heard about it through the newspapers.
Larmonie's troubles began in 2007 when construction of the restaurant was halted by Direction Departmentale d' L'Environment (DDE), Gendarmes, Police aux Fronti�res, inspectors, R�serve Naturelle etc.
Larmonie argued in court she had been working on getting her papers in order for eight months but her arguments were not accepted by the judge. DDE noted that the AOT does not automatically lead to a building permit.
At the time the Pinel Island affair captured the attention of the population and evoked sympathy for Leonie Larmonie, who said the State was stopping a local person from doing business. It also caused a week-long strike by the Pinel Island ferries and a road blockade and showed similarities with the Joan Verwood case in Dawn Beach.
Disability Psychology Terrorism policy Christina Aguilera The US embassy cables Work & careers
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