Court hearing on gambling boat

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3: An application is currently being heard for a defunct casino boat to be sold at auction to fund the unpaid wages of its crew and captain.

A judge heard today that the MV Niobe Corinthian should be sold to pay skipper Pablo Rieira and his two-man crew the money they are owed — understood to be around $40,000.

HM Customs has also registered its right to be paid 22.5 per cent of the proceeds of any sale because of unpaid fees connected to the boat.

In a hearing at Supreme Court this morning Chief Justice Richard Ground accepted the claim on behalf of the three Honduran men had been proved.

But he said he wanted to see an 'affidavit of service' which showed that the original writ of summons — served on the vessel rather than its owners — had been served in accordance with the proper protocol.

He adjourned the hearing until 2.30pm tomorrow.

The Bermuda Sun revealed in May that the skipper and two-man crew were owed thousands of dollars in unpaid wages.

Louis Somner, of the Bermuda Industrial Union, said after today's hearing that this was another step towards justice for the men. He said his only priority was for them to be paid what they are owed.

The fate of the boat remains unclear but it seems likely that it will now be sold.

It's owners — Estrellas management — had until July 5 to contest the claims of the captain and crew and attempt to prevent the boat from being sold. They did not do so and no one from Estrellas management, or any of the network of Trusts and management companies that have interests in the vessel, were present in court today.

Featuring a top-deck bar and dance-floor, rooms full of gaming machines and casino tables, the MV Niobe Corinithian was launched as a glitzy floating casino offering offshore gambling to high-rolling clients.

But the venture, which had hoped to exploit legal loopholes in Bermuda's anti-gaming legislation, faced a series of challenges and only ever made three trips.

It has remained tethered to the dock in St David's for more than three years. The skipper and crew remained employed to live on board and maintain the boat in the hope that the venture would eventually get off the ground.

The men were not paid in full from September last year and say they received no wages at all since January of this year. All three have now returned to Honduras following a 'gift' of airline tickets from Capital G.