Controversial Lamaha Gardens land sale…Government investigation to be completed by Thursday

Feb 11, 2013 News

Tempers are being moderated as Lamaha Gardens residents continue to investigate how a plot of community land ended up in the possession of a “well connected” businessman. The residents who have vowed to reclaim their property are diligently monitoring the process by which the “illegally” sold property is being returned to them.
The community group’s spokesperson told Kaieteur News that, “The issue continues to be actively pursued by the residents and they continue to monitor any developments.” He said that lawyers are still in the information gathering stage and will soon be taking legal action if the property is not returned.
The community has however opted to give the relevant authorities additional time to sort out the discrepancies
It is alleged that so far, the matter has been recognized as having bigger implications apart from the alleged “illegal” sale.
Kaieteur News was told that dishonesty and deceit surround the sale, but those particulars would “be divulged at the right time”.
At a community meeting held last week, irate community members expressed disgust and anger at what they called the “theft and illegal sale” of the almost 33,000 sq ft property at 142 Durbana Square, Lamaha Gardens.
They rejected the sale and even contemplated taking matters into their own hands by tearing down the fence placed around the property. The residents had even indicated a seven-day ultimatum for the government to investigate the sale and to have the land returned.
On Saturday, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) accused the government of selling the property behind its back. The GPSU said it had intervened in the sale prior to the businessman’s purchase, telling the government that the union was the rightful owner of the property.
It is said that Lot 142 was set for a playground and recreational area since the developmental stages of the high scale residential community at Lamaha Gardens. The union said that the land had been handed over by the late President, Forbes Burnham to senior public servants and Government officials, most of whom were members of the then Civil Service Association (CSA), now the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).
GPSU said it had written to the land’s liquidator, requesting certain information about the sale’s authorization, but that was never provided. The Union said that it first noticed the land’s advertisement in the Chronicle Newspaper on November 16, 2012 and immediately sent a letter that was hand delivered to the liquidator on November 20, 2012, from the union’s lawyer Joseph Harmon.
GPSU said that, “Despite their clear intention to assert the right of the Co-operative Society to the land, the liquidator with the concurrence of the corroborating elements of the Government, went ahead with undue haste to sell the property and pass transport to this property within the space of one month.”
The union thus called for the businessman’s transport to be recalled, that a GPSU nominee serve in the investigation of the land’s acquisition and the results of the investigation be made public.
The various stakeholders have cited corruption when explaining that the land was sold way below market price. Kaieteur News was told that, “5500 sq ft of land in the area is sold at approximately $30M-$35M, but the controversial property, estimated at six times that size, was reportedly sold for little more than $25M to the businessman.”
President Donald Ramotar, subsequent to the resident’s upheaval on the matter, ordered the Labour Minister Nanda Gopaul to spearhead investigations into the sale.
Gopaul told Kaieteur News that soon some light would be shed on the matter. He said that by Thursday, he expects that a report would be ready on the matter.

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Controversial Lamaha Gardens land sale…Government investigation to be completed by Thursday

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