As complaints grow: Enforcement heightened against house lot fraud – Croal

…says employee fired over such allegations

The Housing Ministry has strengthened its enforcement and investigative capacity to deal with fraudulent sale of lands, as complaints to such effect continue to surface across the country.
It was explained on Tuesday by Housing Minister Collin Croal that individuals posing as house lots sellers have resulted in numerous fraudulent activities. He made it clear that only the Ministry and its sub offices are permanent locations for monies to be paid for house lots.

“We have been receiving numerous complaints and we have also been catching unscrupulous persons who have been trying to, whether sell house lots or sell ‘dreams’ but then duping somebody. We want to make it very clear that it is only at the Ministry, the regional offices or when we have special exercises where payments are done. Anywhere else you’re making a payment can’t be to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA),” Croal explained during the “Dream Realised” event in Region Four.
Presently, the Ministry has taken robust steps to curb such actions, one of which has been to reinforce its investigative arm. A clampdown also saw one employee being fired on such allegations.
“We have strengthened our investigative and enforcement arm. In our employment, there is one former senior person from the hierarchy of the Police Force for which we have been undertaking a number of investigations to go after…We’ve had cause sometime in the last month to dismiss a staff on that similar type of allegation.”
Guyanese have been asked to work with authorities in prosecuting persons found guilty of such acts. Many times, the Ministry is challenged on this end.
The Housing Minister urged, “We’re asking listeners to work with us when you find persons who are trying to do this. The difficulty we have been having is that in order for us to make some persons criminally culpable, we need the support of you on the ground. It requires statements so when it reaches the level of the Police and the Police requires a statement so that they can take this to another level, that’s where we’re having the major challenge.”
He added that if a person decides to go this route knowingly, they find themselves as a “willing participant” to acts of fraud.
Apart from fraud, squatting has become a plague in all corners of the country. However, this is being combatted with records of existing illegal settlements. The Ministry has been working with many existing areas to regularise or relocate persons who have been squatting.
Those which are new, however, will not be subjected to the same approach. Since last year, the Ministry had said no new squatting areas will be recognised.
“We know what is there existing currently on the ground. We have drone shots. The community development department is out in the field logging as well as marking some of the buildings that exist in these unregulated areas. Don’t try anything because we must recognise and repeat that squatting is illegal. Taking occupancy of somebody’s land is illegal,” Croal asserted.