Former NICIL Head remains in Police custody

…as probe intensifies into massive EBD land giveaway

Colvin Heath-London, the former Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), is still in Police custody assisting with investigations as Police delve to the bottom of the massive land scandal on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

This publication understands that the former NICIL boss remained in Police custody up to Saturday evening. Heath-London’s continued detention was confirmed when this newspaper made contact with Crime Chief, Assistant Superintendent Wendell Blanhum.
Heath-London was arrested on Friday, in keeping with the police probe into a number of questionable transactions done by NICIL. Several plots of State land were leased by individuals and then resold, resulting in huge profits.

This has particularly been the case on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). NICIL, with Heath-London at its helm, has been at the centre of these transactions. Heath-London has since been sacked from his position at NICIL and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has commenced its investigations and begun questioning those implicated.
Police have already questioned two businessmen, Eddie Doolall and Avalon Jagnanan, regarding the transactions. It was revealed last month that Life 1 Pharms Incorporated, which Jagnandan heads, leased a total of 15 acres of land at Peters Hall, EBD, for the sum of US$11,700. This land, referred to as plots “A17”, “A18” and “A19” was subsequently transferred to one individual for $100.
Similarly, A-Z Pharmaceuticals also leased three plots of land at Peters Hall for US$11,700 a year from NICIL. The company then transferred the land to the same individual for a mere $100. Police had detained and subsequently released Doolall, the principal for A-Z Pharmaceuticals, last week.
Equally striking is that both men, in their statements to Police, implicated People’s National Congress (PNC) member and Attorney-at-Law James Bond as the person who arranged the sale of the lands. Both men have similar stories of being told by Bond to apply to NICIL for the land, after which a buyer was found by the former Member of Parliament.

Last month, Bond was named as the recipient of US$1 million in payments for 20.8 acres of flipped State lands at Peters Hall. The revelation was made by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall in a video statement providing an update on the Government-promised investigation into the land giveaways by the David Granger Administration.
He had said that over 50 acres of land were given away, through three different agreements, at Peters Hall by the then Government through NICIL. The PNCR member, now identified as Bond, at the centre of the questionable transactions, was listed as the lawyer on record for the drafting of the three contracts.
The AG had revealed that in one instance, 20 acres of land was leased for 20 years to a company with its address listed as Third Street, Alberttown, Georgetown. The lands referred to as plots “A1”, “A2”, “A3”, and “A4” amounted to 20.8 acres, which were not valuated prior to the signing of the lease on May 9, 2018, for an annual fee of US$16,224.

The land was later sold to a company connected to the oil and gas industry for US$1 million, which did not go to the owner, rather to the attorney on record. The payments were disbursed in two parts at a commercial bank. Nandlall had said at the time that the address for the company is the same address that the PNCR member has listed on his bank account as his place of residence.
When last contacted by this publication for a comment on the land deal, Bond had said that he has nothing to say on the issue. (G3)