Once they were great friends, almost family buy money has a way of colouring perspectives bonds go out of the window.

Project manager Nicholas Feanny was a trusted professional who did stellar work for now deceased hotel mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the fonder of Sandals.

Butch Stewart died in January 2021 and was succeeded by his son Adam Stewart.

It has been a tough time for the young boss who soon after losing his father, lost his wife to cancer and is currently battling to keep his father’s legacy alive.

Now he sees confidantes and trusted colleagues turn on him and depict him as a ruthless insensitive cold blooded operator.

Nick Feanny maintains that Butch Stewart graciously bequeathed I’m a house in a residential complex which Adam Stewart now wants to dispossess him of.

Adam Stewart strenuously denies this and is hurt that such an allegation could be made by someone who he considers close.

Feanny affidavit lodged in the Supreme Court and dated November 14, 2024 reads :

“4. In or around 2018, the late Hon. Gordon Arthur “Butch” Stewart (“the Chairman”) approached me to develop property located at the top of Wilmington Drive, which is off Jacks Hill Road (“the Wilmington Development”). 

“5. The Chairman’s vision for the Wilmington Development was to construct 5 houses, 2 of which would belong to him. He appointed me to manage the project given my experience in construction and technical services. Unfortunately, the development was not completed prior to the Chairman’s death.

“6. The Chairman made me a beneficiary under his will by giving me one unit in the Wilmington Development. He also gave one unit each to Paul Soutter (“Paul”) and Dmitri Singh (“Dmitri”). According to the terms of the will, each of us would be entitled to acquire our respective unit at cost less US$1,000,000.00. Exhibit “NF-1” includes a copy of the relevant part of the will.

“6. I have known the Chairman’s son, Adam Stewart since he was a child, having grown up with his two older brothers, Robert and Jonathan Stewart. I am aware Adam was not happy when he found out that the Chairman left a unit in the Wilmington Development to Paul.

“7. In or around July 2021, Adam met with me and Dmitri. In this meeting, Adam asked me about the Wilmington Development, and I told him that he should come and have a look at it. He then asked whether Paul had moved into his unit as yet and I said no since Paul’s unit had not yet been completed.

“8. Adam inquired about the timeline for completion of the development to which I responded that there was no timeframe for completion. At this point, Adam told me that he did not want Paul in the Wilmington Development and instructed me to “juice up” the construction cost, or in other words, inflate the invoice that would be issued to Paul to US$2,600,000.00. The purpose was to make it more difficult for Paul to buy the unit. On Adam’s instructions, I issued an invoice to Paul showing a construction cost of US$2,600,000. Exhibit “N’-1” includes a copy of the invoice.

“9. Adam told me and Dmitri that these payment terms would not apply to us therefore I did not issue a similar invoice to myself or to Dmitri.

“10. The plan was not successful because the Executors of the Chairman’s estate told Paul not to pay pending a review by an independent quantity surveyor. All five units have been completed. Dmitri, Paul and I live in our respective units with our families, and the estate has rented out the other two units.

“11. I am advised by the executors and verily believe, that the only reason the titles have not been transferred into our respective names is that there was a restrictive covenant against subdivision on the parent title. That covenant has now been modified by the court and the executors are in the process of subdividing the title to obtain splinter titles.

“12. I regret having acted on Adam’s instructions and issuing that invoice to Paul. At the time, I was fearful of losing my job and did not want to do anything to anger Adam.

“13. However, this has been bearing on my conscience for a while, and I therefore told Paul and the executors of the Chairman’s estate what had happened.”