Cabinet on Tuesday ordered an immediate halt to the process initiated by Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General (AG), Basil Williams to use the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act to take control of two plots of privately-owned land at the corners of Middle and Carmichael Streets, Georgetown, a source close to President David Granger’s Cabinet has confirmed.
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil WilliamsGuyana’s High Commissioner to Canada, Clarissa Riehl
The usually reliable source confirmed to Guyana Times that the issue “came up for discussion” and a decision was taken to immediately suspend the process, pending an explanation from Williams. The AG was not present at Tuesday’s sitting of Cabinet, thus prompting the decision to suspend the process.
The same source said that it is likely that the issue will be discussed at next Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting where the AG is expected to be present.
When asked if the process is likely to be abandoned, the source declared “We have no intention to compulsorily acquire any private lands,” indicating that Cabinet was not too happy with Williams’ actions.
Cabinet’s disgruntle was confirmed by another source who is very close to the Cabinet.
“There were some discussion on the issue and I can say to you that many members were not too happy with the manner in which this issue played out. Many felt that the entire episode was embarrassing to the Government,” the source said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Attorney General continued to be unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
The matter attracted the attention of Cabinet after Guyana Times reported that Guyana’s High Commissioner to Canada, Clarissa Riehl, who owns one of the plots in contention, was preparing to file legal proceedings against the Attorney General.
Riehl is a senior figure in the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the largest party in the coalition Government.
There are also reports that the owner of the other plot of land, Beharry Group of Companies has engaged its lawyers to examine the issue.
This publication was also told that President David Granger and “many” members of Cabinet were unaware of the move by Williams.
The Carmichael and Middle Streets property under contention
The Official Gazette of September 24, which published the Order made by Minister David Patterson on September 22, 2016, identified the property as the East quarter of Lot 92 Middle and Carmichael Streets.
The property was expected to be used for the proposed construction of Government buildings.
Williams’ only public statement thus far on the issue is a public denial that he initiated the process of acquiring the property and indicated that it was his predecessor, Anil Nandlall, who started the process prior to May 2015, a claim Nandlall has since denied.
However, Nandlall denied Williams’ claims, saying that the AG was peddling mistruths.
“I wish to make it unequivocally clear that as Attorney General, I had no intention whatsoever of compulsorily acquiring the said two lots of land and that no step whatsoever was ever taken by the PPP/Civic Government to compulsorily acquire the said two lots of land; that all I did in relation thereto was to make contact with the owners of the two plots of land and enquired from them, whether the lands were for sale,” Nandlall said in a letter to the press.
Both owners, he related, answered in the negative and that was the end of the transaction: “I never even took a proposal to Cabinet in relation to this matter.”
