DoJ complaint over US property: Ex-CH&PA head assures legitimacy of funds – Jagdeo

…rejects call for witch-hunting

Former Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Sherwyn Greaves, who resigned earlier this week amid allegations of corruption and collision, has assured Government that his sources of funding for his properties are legitimate.
This was revealed by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Thursday.
“Sherywn Greaves will have to answer and give credible answers for the acquisition for any of his properties… We asked Sherwyn Greaves when this issue surfaced…and he assured us that the sources of his funding are legitimate and every transaction he’s done is legal,” Jagdeo said during his press conference on Thursday.
In recent days, the operations of the CHPA within the Housing and Water Ministry came under the spotlight amid mounting concerns over controversial land sales in Guyana, and high-value property acquisitions in New York.
In fact, a complaint was filed against Greaves at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). The complainant – owner of Church’s Chicken in Guyana, Terrence Campbell – asked the DOJ to launch an investigation into Greaves’ alleged purchase of a US$770,000 New York home last year.
Campbell alleged that the sale was facilitated by a close relative of convicted real-estate businessman Edul ‘Ed’ Ahmad.
The Department of Justice was asked to investigate the seeming “quid pro quo” for favours to be granted in Guyana, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), in which Ahmad recently purchased prime real estate in Guyana at alleged reduced prices from the CHPA.
One such purchase had to do with the sale of 30 acres of land at Ogle, East Coast Demerara – near Exxon Mobil’s headquarters – to a company owned by Ahmad.
The Housing Ministry has since explained that the transaction is above board, and that the $30 million per acre price tag was standard and had been in place for years, even under the previous APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change) government.
Jagdeo has since made it clear that if Greaves and Ahmad broke the law, “they must face the consequences. That’s our position… And so, we will have to examine [the allegations] but right now, we’re not going to witch-hunt people on the basis of conjecture.”
Moreover, the Vice President lashed out at the ongoing vilification and attacks that forced the former CH&PA Head to step down.
“[Greaves] offered to resign because he said [he] can’t handle this vilification anymore… They ran him down, vilify him… They running him down and his family for weeks and then expressed surprise when he has resigned,” he posited.
In a statement confirming his resignation, Greaves noted that his decision “is a deeply personal one made after consulting with my family. It stems from various posts on social media directed at me personally.”
Greaves also noted that “my resignation is purely a personal choice and in no way an admission of guilt. Everything I have achieved has been through hard work and can be fully justified.”
No preferential treatment
Meanwhile, Jagdeo went onto defend the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s land policy track record, noting that there is no room for preferential treatment in the distribution of land for developmental purposes.
“I saw a story about Ed Ahmad and how he is a friend of Jagdeo, friend of the PPP etc. So, that’s a red herring. But was there any preferential treatment of this individual because of connections to the PPP? The answer is absolutely not and cannot be proven,” the Vice President declared.
According to Jagdeo, he was not aware of the land agreement with Ed Ahmad. Questioned about the criminal background of the businessman, the VP pointed out that he does not know if this was something that the CH&PA took into consideration before conducting the transaction.
In the same breath, however, Jagdeo argued that there are a lot of convicted people in Guyana who continue to benefit from public projects. He went onto voice his dismay at the constant vilification of persons who are perceived to be associated with the PPP/C.
“I see all the time, this vilification of people that they’re PPP… PPP supporters are eligible for support as anyone else… [But] if you are perceived to be close to the PPP and you do any criminality, you will face the consequences,” he stressed.