Latest update January 30th, 2025 6:10 AM
Apr 19, 2010 News
Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba insists that the land sale referred to in an article carried by another section of the media yesterday titled “Lubumba netted millions in controversial land deal”, and subheading, “Bought from Govt. for $1.5 M, sold for $38M” is part of a campaign by that entity against him.
“It closely follows several articles published by the said newspaper in relation to a transaction between a mining company of which I am part, and a Canadian company. Both of these transactions are legal, transparent and in compliance with conventional business methods.”
Lumumba charges that the News entity, “has declared an unmitigated vendetta against me to destroy not only my character but also my political career…I am a Member of Parliament, an Advisor to His Excellency, the President, and a Member of Cabinet…As a result, I am now forced to issue a response so that members of the public can hear my side of the story.”
According to Lumumba, in 2005, he was offered by the Government of Guyana a plot of land known as Tract C, Rear of the Botanical Gardens, Mandela Avenue, at a purchase price of approximately $2.5M.
” I accepted the said offer and purchased the said land…This process was initiated by an Attorney-at-Law employed with the Ministry of Legal Affairs who acted on behalf of the Government of Guyana…I have recently sold the said plot of land as I am entitled to do like every other owner of land, at market value.”
Lumumba in his response to that news entity’s article, also included that in 1992, under the People’s National Congress (PNC) government, he was allotted approximately 10,000 acres of land by lease for agricultural purposes at Manarabisi on the right bank of the Canje River , Berbice.
He adds that shortly after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration assumed office, “I was requested by then President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, to relinquish approximately 4,000 acres of land to be made available to the cattle farmers in the area…By this time, I had already expended millions of dollars in surveying, engineering designs and feasibility studies for the cultivation of rice or sugar.”
Lumumba said he, “willingly agreed to give up the 4,000 acres of land on the sole condition that another plot of land be made available to me.”
The Presidential Advisor said that, “In pursuance thereof, sometime during 1994, Cabinet approved the sale of a parcel of land located next to the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School to me…However, before the allocation of this land was formalised, the Guyana Muslim Mission Limited filed an action against the Attorney General and the Commission of Lands and Surveys claiming that this plot of land was allocated to them by the late President Forbes Burnham.”
That case was amicably resolved by the government, giving the said land to the Guyana Muslim Mission Limited, thereby promising me another plot of land somewhere to be identified.
He also called for the news entity to give equal prominence to the fact that; “I have agreed to give up to GUYSUCO and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission the remaining land at Manarabisi on the right bank of the Canje River, Berbice, in order to facilitate GUYSUCO’s diversification drive into the cattle industry without any form of compensation at this point in time; I have relinquished to the State the rights to ten thousand (10,000) acres of land at Akawini in the Pomeroon Area which I had acquired under the People’s National Congress (PNC) government; I also relinquished to the State the right to develop a housing scheme in respect of that plot of land which now houses a housing area for members of the Joint Services which I had also acquired under the People’s National Congress (PNC) government.”
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