“I am happy with our advice” – Norton says no remorse for misleading Mocha squatters

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, on Friday brazenly declared that he has no remorse for misleading the Mocha/Arcadia squatters, who recently lost their court case for rights to the land that they squatted on, and are now saddled with paying over $2 million in legal costs to the Government.
Norton also encouraged that the beleaguered residents should only accept further assistance from the Government on the condition that they be given back the lands, despite the court ruling that the lands which they occupy belong to the State. Norton is again urging those persons to hold out their challenge to the Government for occupancy of those lands.

Norton spoke on the issue during his party’s weekly virtual press conference, where he faced questions on his role in stoking the Mocha residents to refuse voluntary compensation from the Government and instead institute legal proceedings.
“I am extremely happy that we advised them to seek adequate compensation. As far as we are concerned, we gave good advice to them,” Norton declared.
“We are confident that we did engage people in Mocha, we did give them proper advice. There were people who decided they were going to take the compensation. Some of them felt it was adequate and those who felt it wasn’t didn’t and they were correct.”
Norton is holding out that the compensation offered by the Government, to the Mocha squatters, was not adequate. This is despite the fact that a total of $250 million in compensation was issued to 27 families from the district. An additional $6M was disbursed for farmlands.
According to reports, it was back in 2021 that the Government engaged with 35 families to provide housing and cash for the value of their homes to remove in order to facilitate construction of a road network. However, while most of the families accepted, a handful of residents, stoked by narrative from the Norton and the political opposition, challenged that the compensation offered by the Government was inadequate.
According to data released by the Ministry of Housing and Water, the resistant residents were demanding between $100 million to $150 million apiece to remove from the unregularised area.
One individual whose property was valued at $5.5 million at the time demanded $150 million and farmlands. Four other individuals demanded $100 million each, after being offered valuations of $8.6 million, $7.2 million, $6 million and $3.4 million. Another resident with a valuation of $14.3 million but instead demanded $45 million in addition to farmlands.
Moving ahead with the proposed road development final notices were served to the remaining individuals on June 27, 2022.
The parliamentary opposition instead encouraged the squatters to take the Government to court – a battle which they outright lost and are now left homeless. In 2023 the displaced squatters filed their court challenge in the High Court seeking more than $200 million in damages, declarations of ownership of parcels of land, and compensation for alleged breaches of constitutional rights.
Earlier this month the Chief Justice, Roxanne George ruled that the applicants had failed to substantiate their claims for prescriptive titles, property damage, and constitutional violations.
Notwithstanding the Court ruling, the Government has indicated that it will work to assist the squatters. Addressing the issue on Thursday during a live broadcast, President, Dr Irfaan Ali emphasised that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration is focused on humanity rather than politics.
However, even this was shot down by Norton, who on Thursday encouraged the squatters that they should only accept assistance from the Government if they will be given back the lands that the court ruled they have no legal right to.
“I am saying to the people, engage him, but engage him on the condition that he is giving you back those lands, regularising it and giving you the assistance to develop it,” Norton said.