‘Fishy’ Land deal documents to be handed over to police

A copy of one of the documents expected to be tendered

A tranche of documents, among them land leases to three specific companies, are to be handed over to the police and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

During an interview with the state media, Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, accused the former government of being involved in “organised crime” as it relates to the sale of state lands.

He provided several documents which he said are proof that the sale of state lands at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara, Peter’s Hall on the East Bank of Demerara and Wales on the West Bank of Demerara, were not done in a transparent manner.

While the Minister did not say how soon these documents would be handed over, he identified the companies that the lands were leased to by name, “there appears to be no process involved; no public process where members of the public would have been invited to express an interest, bid, or make offers to buy lands,” Nandlall said.

The government said it is reviewing operations at two state agencies – the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). Nandlall is claiming that these agencies were “used to give away state lands.”

As he reviewed the documents, Nandlall lamented the lack of supporting records, “there is no principle governing… or evidence of such, governing how prices were determined,” he said shuffling through the documents.

“No valuation certificate, no market value assessment done… one does not know how a price was arrived at,” he pointed out.

As the Attorney General identified what he considered questionable transactions, he listed several of the companies that he also labelled as equally questionable.

Nandlall also claimed that most of the documentation which he plans to present to the police were prepared by one Attorney at Law.

While he did not name the lawyer, he went on to imply that some financial transactions were made through the lawyer.

When contacted today, the lawyer said he will not respond to insinuations and innuendos in the media. “I see absolutely no need to engage the Attorney General, who is an attorney himself,” the lawyer said in a terse response.