New punters lining up to take over failed Claunch casino deal

Unlikely to be an official announcement because the regime hates having egg on its face but all signs point to Larry Claunch getting the push from the casino deal after failing to start any building despite several extended deadlines.

Broad hints suggest the Damodar Group of Companies, which is behind the new city centre complex in Raiwai, Suva, will snatch up the casino deal botched by One Hundred Sands.

Chief executive, Div Damodar, has confirmed to the Fiji Sun that the company is finalising 'a major tourism deal' for what the regime favoured paper has described as the 'much renown Denarau Island site in Nadi.'

Claunch has been exposed by this blog several times as having failed to put together the casino deal despite the huge publicity over the initial announcement by the illegal prime minister Frank Bainimarama and subsequent stories about the $390 million casino and hotel complex for Denarau Island.

We can also reveal today that an Australian based consortium has pitched to Bainimarama a deal that involves a casino and reviving the aborted Momi Bay Deal.

Majestic Fiji Corporation is fronted by five directors named to C4.5 as John Foley, Paul Broughton, Reg Williams, Rajesh Singh and Beverley Broughton.

Foley, an Australian lawyer, was involved in the Pacific Harbour development 30 years ago and is the chair of director of Citigold Corporations, a publicly listed company in Australia, Dubai and Frankfurt.


Paul Broughton is a rugby league player turned businessman, and is part of the proposed Gold Coast Ship terminal, as is Reg Williams, another director. According to the proposal, the fourth director is Beverley Broughton, who is also sports and business orientated. She is listed as being the managing director of World Cup triathlon. Rajesh Singh is, of course, a former minister of Youth and Sport, currently residing in Auckland.

A letter dated June 4 2013 from Beverley Broughton details Fiji Majestic's plans:

"Our specific interest is to foster tourism and the international profile of Fiji to enhance commercial outcome sand opportunities in Fiji. Our consortium is familiar with the Momi Bay area and would like to open discussions with your government with a view to returning funds to the Fiji National Provident Fund and continuing on to complete the Momi Bay project. As part of the integrated planning, we also seek an exclusive right to a casino licence as part of our proposal which is intended as a tourism driver to the Fijian economy and which also includes marina development and the prospect of a building of an international cruise ship terminal."

She adds: "We envisage substantial social outcomes for Fiji and to ensure this is delivered, we will establish the Community Development Fund, which will receive ten per cent of all net profits for dispersal of funding to all community developers. This will include health, education and sports projects. We do have a particular interest in building a sports stadium to attract international rugby in Fiji as part of a community development."

An attached letter from Foley says the consortium is confident of raising the cash for the ambitious venture.

The group says it has been offered an August 30 meeting by Bainimarama but says it is seeking formal confirmation before it heads to Fiji.