Nandlall against special prosecution for Pradoville 2 & CWC

Nov 08, 2016 News

The coalition government has been consistently sidelining and emasculating authorised constitutional agencies, said former Attorney General and Member of Parliament, Anil Nandlall, at the People’s Progressive Party’s press conference at Freedom House yesterday.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, had announced a fortnight ago, that special prosecution teams will be set up to prepare reports that will ensure effective and efficient prosecution of criminal charges into the Sparendaam Housing Project, known as Pradoville Two and the operations of the Guyana Cricket World Cup Inc.
Nandlall said the Director of Public Prosecution by way of article 187 of the constitution is responsible for laying criminal charges, while noting that private charges can be laid as well. The MP lamented that the charges were not coming from the DPP office. Moreover Nandlall noted that the DPP office recommended that no charges be laid due to insufficient evidence.
However, when pressed, he acknowledged that there is no evidence to suggest that the charges would be laid by the government instead of the DPP.
Nandlall said that the coalition government is trying to create a parallel legal system to the constitutionally established criminal justice system. The only way that special prosecutors can be involved, is if the DPP issues a fiat, the MP explained.
The DPP normally orders a fiat in relation to cases filed by the DPP or advised by the DPP and then if the victim wishes to retain a lawyer of their choice, they write to the DPP and she grants permission.” Nandlall explained.
Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack, is among several persons who benefitted from house lots in the upscale Pradoville Two scheme.The exclusive scheme at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, was develop with state resources and then sold way below market prices and under questionable circumstances to a chosen few.
Last October, the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorising the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatise State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatisation of State assets.
NICIL reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

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