October 4, 2007

I AM writing this letter to you while Sven is in the bath soaking his sore bones after tiling our kitchen floor (legally or illegally ¿ I do not know)

Anyway I am writing because, after 20 years of marriage to "Sven" (and I must pause to say that every minute has been happy: heaven forbid, I could have been stuck with a "hard-workin"' Bermudian!), I have discovered that we are in danger of being dispossessed of the two properties we have purchased together, fixed up together, and generally enjoyed together.

What do I do?

I am Bermudian - my Grandparents came here, contributed a huge amount, followed by my parents, who probably could have been much better parents if they had not been so busy contributing ¿ endlessly ¿ to the greater good of Bermuda. And then, after meeting Sven professionally, I married him.

When he first came to Bermuda, he did not like it much, and as he always says, he stayed "only because of me!" Now what? We have been together for 20 years, and under the new Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 2007 he is faced with either having to apply for Bermuda status in order to have access to what he has effectively created, and in so doing lose his own nationality, or keep his nationality and therefore his inheritance rights in his country of origin.

My question to you, sir, is what would you do?

What should Sven do?

What should I do (Sven's Bermudian spouse of 20 years)?

What I do know, is that an off-shore company is located not so far away in a residential section of St. David's Road, and the owner, who has absolutely no ties to Bermuda and descends intermittently to do whatever it is that he does (and take his boats out), is clearly totally immune to any threat to "his" or his "wife's" ownership of their property thanks to our helpful lawyers and naturally their exceedingly helpful real estate agent who probably also sells property downwind of Chernobyl on the side.

Ahh, well¿ such is life!

Let me know if you have any suggestions, but right now, Sir, Europe is very inviting indeed!

SVEN'S WIFE

St. David's