Williams calls out Nandalall on compulsory acquisitions

Oct 08, 2016 News

–says land for Tain Campus acquired in same manner

Hon. Basil Williams, MP Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs00

Compulsory acquisition is an act of Parliament which allows and empowers any Government for public purposes to acquire property. This is known to the opposition, said Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams.

Williams was responding to statements made by the former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who claimed that the process of compulsory acquisitions was unknown to the People’s Progressive Party Civic.

The Attorney General said that he viewed the former AG’s comments as erroneous. Compulsory acquisitions are allowed upon the proper award of compensation which must be paid in reasonable time frame. Williams made mention of the fact that the Attorney General’s office is currently engaged in a matter with the Berbice Bharat Sewa Sangha.

This organisation, he said, was a charitable one, operating homes for the elderly and was compulsorily acquired by the PPP administration in 2000. The Legal Affairs Minister said the reason given by the then government was the establishment and construction of the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus.

“Perhaps Mr Nandlall, having deceived the nation, could explain the difference between this and the acquisition of two small lots that are contiguous to the Ministry of Legal Affairs building.” Williams said.

The Attorney General added that when the coalition government ascended to power after winning the 2015 General Election, he inherited the proposal made by the PPP for the acquisition of the two said lots.

“The staff that I inherited recommended that, especially when I was looking to establish a permanent law reform commission and a law review unit. They said that the current premises could accommodate such a unit.”

The official added that perhaps the former AG is upset that he did not get to broker the deal which he (Nandlall) had pegged at $600 million. Williams however disclosed that the lots after being evaluated are currently valued at $20 million each.

Williams added that since their loss of the 2015 General Elections, the PPP seems to be unhinged.

According to Nandlall, several properties along Brickdam, Hadfield Street and other locations around Georgetown were compulsorily acquired by the former late president, Forbes Burnham and were not put to public use.

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