Man remanded over housing scam

Quacey Kitt was charged with receiving money under false pretence when he appeared on Friday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.
Kitt, 33, is accused of obtaining $1.7 million from Romario Chandrapaul between July 7 and July 13 at Brickdam, Georgetown, by fraudulently claiming to be in a position to get him a young professional home through the Housing and Water Ministry.
Additionally, the Police stated that between August 21 and August 23, he deceitfully pretended to be in a position to secure a young professional property through the Housing and Water Ministry in order to obtain the sum of $500,000 from Roopnarine Sammy.
Upon hearing the two counts, Kitt entered a not guilty plea.
The Police prosecutor opposed bail due to the seriousness and frequency of the offence, as well as the fact that the defendant has numerous other cases of a similar nature pending.
Bail was refused and Kitt is due back in court on September 8.
The Housing and Water Minister, Colin Croal, has firmly stated that his Ministry is putting strict processes in place to crack down on housing fraud in light of the increased instances.
Persons desirous of owning a piece of land are urged to apply to the Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) as it is the only source for house lots.
“We have strengthened our investigative as well as our enforcement arm so in our employment now is somebody with experience, one former senior person from the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force, for which we’ve been undertaking a number of investigations to go after,” Minister Croal had told a gathering of prospective homeowners earlier this year.
The Ministry has reminded all applicants that payments should only be paid to the CH&PA located at Brickdam, Georgetown, or any of its regional offices. In March of this year, a Ministry of Housing and Water employee implicated in the fraudulent sale of house lots was dismissed.