Govt. moves to settle disputes with Cevons, Car Care and Courtney Benn Services

May 23, 2021 News

Kaieteur News- After filing lawsuits against three prominent companies, the government has announced a move to settle with the principals of Cevons, Car Care and Courtney Benn services.
Vice President of the People‘s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C), Dr. Bharat Jagdeo told a news conference on Friday that the government will not pursue the unsuspecting businessmen, but the public officers who contracted the deals will be held liable.

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.

While he offered no details of the settlement, Jagdeo noted the lawsuit filed against Cevons Waste Management’s Morse Archer and Car Care Enterprise owner Wilfred Branford sought to repossess lands sold to them under the former APNU+AFC administration as well as the case filed to recover large sums owed by Courtney Benn Contracting Service for incomplete works will be dropped.
“We don’t want to penalise unsuspecting businessmen,” Dr. Jagdeo said, adding that the administration wants to go after the people who acted willingly.
“We believe they took benefits,” Jagdeo added.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall S.C, who had in March vowed to initiate legal proceeding against the men on behalf of the State, told this paper in an invited comment that government had started exploring ways of resolving the controversial matters with the businessmen, following an appeal to President Irfaan Ali.
He noted that while when the PPP/C in opposition had vowed to investigate land giveaways, once the investors are found to be genuine or entrapped by political strategies, the deals would be reexamined.
“We had promised to review them and objectively try to ensure that people, who have genuinely invested, do not lose their investments. If their investments are designed to create jobs and to improve the public lot and the public good, those investments will be reviewed with a view of trying to salvage,” the Attorney General said.
Additionally, Cevons’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Morse Archer had expressed hope that the matter could be settled out

The $100M head office built on Mandela Avenue by Cevon’s Waste Management.

of court. During an interview with another section of the media, Archer revealed he purchased the property based legally.
“We had purchased the land through the legal source, as far as we are aware. We’ve purchased it for $100 million, and despite the evaluation being $40 million, we have paid twice. So, it’s not like we got any special favour,” he said.
In a breakdown of the deal, the CEO pointed out that he had paid down $80 million with the understanding that transport would be received in three years’ time, after which the remaining $20 million would be paid over. He said too that he has to pay $200,000 per month for the 50-year lease.
In addition to the over $100M investment, Archer revealed that he had employed over 200 people for the operations located at Lot 1 Mandela Avenue, on the disputed land.

“We’re hoping, as business people for some recognition of that, and we have purchased the land through the legal process, as far as we are aware,” he said in an interview last March.
Archer told the press then that he had acquired the land from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) but it was only after construction that he was made aware that it was the property of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

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