Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 12, 2015 News
A date has been set for reports into the legal challenge over the sale of Pradoville 2 lands. The case was filed on behalf of former Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman.
Last Wednesday, Chief Justice Ian Chang set the case for reports. Chang put the matter down for hearing on October 22.
Trotman moved to the courts to challenge the sale and transfer of acres of prime ocean-front state lands to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, past government Ministers and other close associates.
In a High Court Motion, Trotman and the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Incorporated, are seeking a mandatory order directed to each of the property owners that the legal and beneficial ownership of the parcels of land at Plantations Goedverwagting and Sparendaam, purported to be sold and transferred to them, shall be returned to the State.
Trotman is claiming that the prime lands were covertly sold at undervalued prices in a manner clearly lacking transparency and in an effort to develop the exclusive scheme; orders came from Cabinet and not through the requisite statutory bodies.
In his affidavit of support, Trotman said that on September 2, 2010, parcels of the lands were registered to PPP Government Ministers and their blood relatives, known supporters of the party and other senior influential Government employees.
Among those he listed were former Ministers Robert Persaud (Natural Resources), Shaikh Baksh (Housing and Water), Clement Rohee (Home Affairs), Priya Manickchand (Education) along with Lisaveta Ramotar, General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board and daughter of former President Donald Ramotar.
They each paid $1.5M for 0.3030 acres of land. The former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford acquired 0.3186 acres at nearly $1.6M. One person stated as G. Singh and his wife paid $1.5M to acquire 0.3005 acres.
Of note, Trotman said that Jagdeo scooped up two parcels for himself. A 1.5 acre plot was bought by him for $7.5M and another 0.4603 acres for $2.3M.
According to Trotman’s supporting document, beneficiaries of the Government’s largesse were also former Chief Executive Officer of GuySuco, Dr. Rajendra Singh; former President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo, and Andrew Ranji Bishop, Florrie Loretta Ramnauth, Safraz Khan.
They each paid $1.5M for 0.3005 acres of land.
George Hallaq and Nada Hallaq paid $5M for 0.85 acre while, according to the document, Future Developers International (Guyana) Inc., a company whose sole Director is CEO Dr. Singh, paid $3M for the land.
Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Hack and her husband Moeenul Hack are said to have paid nearly $1.5M for 0.2767 acres. Former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Rear Admiral Gary Best and former Chairman of Commonwealth Development Compton Bourne were listed as having paid $1.5M for 0.3 acres of land there as well.
In 2013 former Minister Manickchand sold the land and property to David Narine for $100M while the year before, Persaud sold his land and property to a local company ASR Inc., for $90M.
In representing Trotman and the group, Senior Counsel Rex McKay and Neil Boston along with Attorneys-at-Law Betina Glasford and Brenden Glasford have called on Attorney General Basil Williams to defend several actions taken by the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Cabinet in setting up the exclusive housing scheme.
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