It all started with IDC’s 2023 tender for an “eco-resort” that would serve as a…

OCT 06 2025 · 18:55

It all started with IDC’s 2023 tender for an “eco-resort” that would serve as a “gateway to Aldabra”. It evolved into a massive luxury complex with 40-villas, 4 restaurants and amenities for the global elite. @victoria_duthil walks us through key events and documentation revealing how due process appears to have been breached in the approval and construction of the Assomption resort. 🤝 About the lease: In September 2024, IDC signed a lease with Qatari developers granting them a minimum of 400,000 m² on Assomption Island, with the option to expand by the end of 2025. The price agreed for the investors is just under 30 rupees per m² per year. An upfront payment of USD 20 million covered the first 25 years of the lease, including USD 5 million which appears to have been paid before the hotel was approved by the authorities. 📆 Timeline of key events: Aug 2023: Deadline for IDC tender calling for an “eco-resort” on Assomption that would be “a gateway to Aldabra”. Oct-Nov 2023: Expansion of airstrip. 25 Apr 2024: Public government endorsement for the project given two months before the EIA was finalised. 24 Jun 2024: EIA published. 18 Sep 2024: Lease agreement signed between IDC & Ocean Breeze Investments Limited (developers’ Seychellois company). + USD 5 Million payment agreed upon signature of lease agreement. Sep 2024: Development and EIA submitted to Planning Authority for review. Nov 2024: Permission granted for staff housing construction. 15 Dec 2024: USD 5 Million payment due to IDC (as per lease agreement). 2025: Remaining balance of USD 10 million to be made in twelve equal instalments (as per lease agreement). Mar–Apr 2025: Construction of villas commences. May 2025: Stop Notice issued for EIA breaches, yet it seems construction continues. Aug 2025: First environmental officer deployed to the island. FROM NOV 2024 TO AUG 2025: THERE WAS NO ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER ON-SITE, meaning developers proceeded without environmental supervision. ⏰ Doesn’t it seem these timelines just don’t add up? We can still stop the irreversible harm this hotel would cause Assomption’s fragile ecosystem. 🌿 Assomption is worth saving. 🛰️ Satellite images @planetsapling