The Finance Minister has taken issue with Chief Secretary Farley Augustine’s claim that he instructed the Commissioner of State Lands to halt the eviction of families at Crown Point who must be relocated to facilitate the expansion of the ANR Robinson Airport.

According to Minister Imbert, this inference was “inaccurate and misleading”, adding the THA has no authority to instruct the Commissioner of State Lands.

Meanwhile, noting that the State has been engaged in discussions with these families over the last three years, Minister Imbert said: “These protracted discussions have delayed construction of the terminal building, which is now costing millions of dollars.”

On Thursday morning, workers from China Railway Construction Ltd, the main contractors for the $1.2 billion Airport project, entered the families’ homes and began removing appliances and other items.