More victims surface in New Savannah Park scam

Nov 09, 2009 News

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NEW AMSTERDAM, BERBICE – Another victim has come forward and is appealing to police to speed up their probe in the New Savannah Park Community Development Housing Group land scam.

An executive member of that group allegedly pulled the disappearing act with what could be millions of dollars after re-selling house lots already owned in the New Savannah Park Community Development Housing scheme in New Amsterdam.

On Friday, Stephen Beaton, who now resides in Antigua, contacted the Kaieteur News in a bid to recover his piece of land.

Beaton reflected that he and the alleged confidence trickster shared a close relationship for six years and he never expected to be short-changed by his good friend. Mr. Beaton is also a former Chairman and a founder member of the said committee.

“I am shocked, I could not have imagined him selling the land in the first place since they were already allocated. He sold my land!”

Beaton said he was informed by another Guyanese living in Antigua that land was being sold and when he called the said executive in Guyana, the man denied it.

Subsequently, Eileen Beaton, who lives in Guyana, informed her son, Stephen Beaton, that his plot was re-sold. This was verified by another senior member of the committee. “I am in Antigua and I haven’t gotten my money back. As a matter of fact I need my land not the money. I am prepared to go to court because I struggled to get that land.”

He said he was a part of the group to make all the initial representation, especially when the New Amsterdam Town Council was rejecting their offer to buy the land five years ago.

Mr. Beaton also wanted to clear the air since according to him, some members of the committee believe that the missing man is now with him in Antigua, “I don’t know his whereabouts. I do not condone such activities! I was never and will never be a part of such action. I hope the police can locate him and he must be brought before the court for his action. The present Chairman must take some blame for this man’s action. The man also sold my mother’s land but she was able to get it back after the committee met about two weeks ago.”

The New Savannah Park Community Development Housing Group in New Amsterdam comprises 84 persons.

They all paid $152,000 each to purchase a land that spans 84 house lots from the New Amsterdam Town Council. Each plot is 50 by 90 feet. The payments to the Town Council collectively commenced in 2005.

The final sum of $600,000 was paid on October 9th this year and the Transport for the entire housing scheme was uplifted one week later on October 16th.

All house lots in that scheme were sold in 2005 but there were some persons who paid in monthly and weekly installments. The entire deal was finalised in five years.

During that period, the senior member of the group had allegedly re-sold several plots of land at higher prices ranging from $300,000 to $500,000.

He reportedly never informed the members of the group nor did he credit the bank account belonging to the committee.

Meanwhile, a source from the Guyana Police Force said that police are still trying to locate the alleged fraudster.

According to police reports, the man has gone into hiding and may have taken some $1 million. That figure the police gave is based on the number of persons who stepped up to report the matter. The file is to be sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice on the way forward.

Over the weekend, house lot owner Rayburn October said more persons continue to surface. Up to Saturday evening, the number of new cases within the past two weeks stood at seven and there are also several others who came forward earlier.

According to Mr. October, he has receipts for the new victims, each for $300,000 and all signed by the said executive member. He said that on Friday he collected a proof of payment from a female but she used a different approach and was not as gullible as the others, “She is the only smart one in the whole group, she deposited her money – $300,000 into the group’s bank account and she presented her receipt to me.”

The members are still trying to ascertain the full amount of persons who have been conned and are exploring the possibility of reimbursing those affected, “We don’t know is how much we up against but we are to have a bingo in December to see what we can do to help them and then next year we try to see if we could do something every month until we pay back everybody.”

Mr. October said that many persons are of the view that the missing executive is now in Antigua, “Honestly speaking I don’t know, some say they saw him in Georgetown. I don’t know.”

Some of the new buyers were never allowed to view their plots. The fiasco unfolded on October 11th this year when a man attended one of the bi-weekly meetings and announced that he had purchased a plot in the very scheme three days before even though all the land was sold since 2005.

The original 84 members were also required to pay a monthly fee of $1,200 each for the development of the necessary infrastructure of the scheme. Those payments began in 2005 and had continued until the scam was uncovered. This sum too has gone missing with the said executive.

Mr. October had indicated that an account was opened at a commercial bank in New Amsterdam and all funds collected should have been deposited immediately, “On October 10th we found out that this particular member was not banking the money he collected from members and the new people he sold to. Another senior member knew of it all the time and now he is now looking to resign but we tell him he cannot resign until he cleans up this mess.”

The members claimed even the ball field, which spans four plots, was sold by this member as well.

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