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Sheriff Holdings distances self from convicted fraudster Ed Ahmad over suspicious Ogle land deal
-Govt. says sale of 30 acres prime lands was a legal transaction
Kaieteur News-Sheriff Holdings Inc. on Saturday issued a full-page Ad in the daily newspapers distancing itself from Edul Ahmad, a convicted fraudster in the US, following the suspicious purchase of some 30 acres or prime state lands at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
Convicted Fraudster, Edul Ahmad
Ahmad, commonly known as Ed Ahmad is related to the owners and representatives of Sheriff Holdings Inc. Recently, he has come under public scrutiny for the purchase of state lands in Guyana through companies he is associated with.
The lands were reportedly purchased in July 2024 from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) at a price of GYD$30 million per acre by a company called Global Investment Inc. for the purpose of real estate development.
According to a purchase agreement shared by Attorney-at-Law and Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, Ed Ahmad is listed as a representative of the company. His designation seen on the document is Secretary/Director.
The land deal was exposed following reports by a prominent journalist that the Guyanese government has been put on alert by the US about the business dealings of Ed Ahmad.
Sheriff Holdings’ public announcement distancing itself from Ed Ahmad
It is alleged too that he has managed to amass more lands in Guyana apart from the Ogle property, namely 12.5 acres of land in Lethem for the purpose of Soya cultivation, six acres more at Diamond, East Bank of Demerara and another five acres along the Heroes Highway.
The convicted fraudster has reportedly denied some of the claims, but AFC leader, Hughes has been pressing the government to come clean on the land deal.
Hughes questioned the price per acre that Ahmad’s company paid for the Ogle prime lands.
“Can CHPA indicate where a citizen can purchase an acre of land in Plantation Ogle near to ExxonMobil’s intended Head Office, from CHPA for $30M”, Hughes wrote on his Facebook Page.
“A house lot in some residential locations exceeds 30M” he added before demanding that the “Minister with responsibility for CHPA issue an immediate statement on the authenticity” of the land sale agreement.
The land sale agreement shared by AFC leader, Nigel Hughes
The CH&PA has since issued a statement claiming that the deal for the Ogle lands was by the books.
“CH&PA guarantees that all transactions follow established protocols including those concerning the recent sale of commercial lands”, the government agency stated before explaining the process.
“The Ministry publicly advertised a call for Expressions of Interest from housing developers, and multiple companies not only expressed interest but also met the outlined criteria unequivocally.” CH&PA continued as it moved on to highlight its pricing standards.
“Concerning pricing, a uniform rate of $30 million per acre was established for all developers”, the CH&PA said while assuring, “There was absolutely no preferential rates or special considerations afforded to any entity.
“Per our standard procedures, all companies acquiring prime commercial lands are strictly required to adhere to the stipulated agreements regarding property use” the government agency claimed adding “any deviation from these agreements will incur penalties, as detailed in the contractual arrangements.
Sheriff Holdings distances self from convicted fraudster Ed Ahmad over suspicious Ogle land deal
CH&PA then iterated, “The CH&PA stands firmly committed to ensuring a fair and transparent process for the allocation of both residential and commercial lands, fully aligned with national development goals”.
Meanwhile as the heat intensifies on Ahmad, many have led to believe that Sheriff Holdings Inc. might be part of these land deals too given his family relations with the owner.
This has prompted Sheriff Holdings Inc. to make a public announcement in a full-page ad claiming that Admad is not associated with or affiliated with the company.
Ed Ahmad was convicted in the US for Mortgage Fraud. In 2017, he was sentenced to two years in jail. He was also ordered to pay some US$2.7 million in restitution to his victims.
(Sheriff Holdings distances self from convicted fraudster Ed Ahmad over suspicious Ogle land deal)
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