Former Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman has moved to the courts to challenge the sale and transfer of acres of prime ocean-front state lands to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, past government Ministers and other close associates.In a high court motion filed yesterday, Trotman and the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Incorporated,
Cheap Stitched MLB Jerseys, are seeking a mandatory order directed to each of the property owners that the legal and beneficial ownership of the parcels of land at Plantations Goedverwagting and Sparendaam, purported to be sold and transferred to them, shall be returned to the State.Trotman is claiming that the prime lands were covertly sold at undervalued prices in a manner clearly lacking transparency and in an effort to develop the exclusive scheme, orders came from Cabinet and not through the requisite statutory bodies.Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent from government corporations, it was claimed. Trotman brought to the court’s attention that the millions of dollars have been spent to develop the area but it was done unlawfully. The act was an abuse of power by the then Executive in contravention of the rights of the people,
Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, Trotman said.In this light, the court has been asked to also grant a conservatory order prohibiting the Registrar of Lands from registering or transferring, or in any form or manner encumbering any of the parcels of land located in what is popularly known as Pradoville 2.Trotman said the proceedings have been laid out in the interest of the public.In representing Trotman and the group, Senior Counsel Rex McKay and Neil Boston along with Attorneys-at-Law Betina Glasford and Brenden Glasford have called on Attorney General Basil Williams to defend several actions taken by the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Cabinet in setting up the exclusive housing scheme.The court is being asked to declare that the move by the former cabinet to authorize National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) to approve the mutation of the parcels of East Coast Demerara lands without the authorisation and approval of Parliament, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and other relevant statutory authorities “is arbitrary, unconstitutional, unreasonable, unlawful, ultra vires, null and void, ab initio and of no legal effect.”A declaration is also being sought to the effect that the sale and transfer of the fully developed parcels of state lands by the Executive at undervalued prices to then government Ministers, officials,
Cheap Jerseys, friends and cronies of the PPP without any recourse to a valuation or tender procedure or an invitation to the public that such lands are for sale is a wrongful and “unlawful grant of facilities and benefits, a brazen and flagrant infringement on citizens’ rights to equality before the law.”This,
Cheap Wholesale Jerseys, he said, is in violation of the Constitution and is discriminatory.Trotman wants the court to declare too that the purported conferment of the benefits, advantages and facilities by the then Cabinet and administrative actions of the State on the purported purchasers of parcels of the state lands, to acquire titles for them an abuse of power by the Executive in contravention of the rights of the people.He is also seeking a declaration that the parcel holders have been accorded privileges which were not afforded to other persons and it is arbitrary, unconstitutional, unlawful, unreasonable, an abuse of power by the Executive and an infringement of the rights of the people.Bought and SoldIn his affidavit of support, Trotman said that on September 2, 2010, parcels of the lands were registered to PPP Government ministers and their blood relatives, known supporters of the party and other senior influential Government employees.Among those he listed were former Ministers Robert Persaud (Natural Resources), Shaikh Baksh (Housing and Water), Clement Rohee (Home Affairs), Priya Manickchand (Education) along with Lisaveta Ramotar, General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board and daughter of former President Donald Ramotar.They each paid $1.5M for 0.3030 acres of land. The former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford acquired 0.3186 acres at nearly $1.6M. One person stated as G. Singh and his wife paid $1.5M to acquire 0.3005 acres.Of note, Trotman said that Jagdeo scooped up two parcels for himself. A 1.5 acre plot was bought by him for $7.5M and another 0.4603 acres for $2.3M.According to Trotman’s supporting document, beneficiaries of the Government’s largesse were also former Chief Executive Officer of GuySuco, Dr. Rajendra Singh; former President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo, and Andrew Ranji Bishop, Florrie Loretta
