The Chief Executive Officer (ag) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth has denied that he was involved in any negotiations for purchase of property which was owned by John Willems as alleged in an article in yesterday’s edition of Kaieteur News (KN).

In a press statement, Wordsworth said that the news item entitled `Accounts clerk buys $60 Million house’ made defamatory references about him. He noted that the story was aired on Prime News on July 28 and carried in yesterday’s KN both of which are edited by Adam Harris.

Wordsworth said that as a civil engineer, all he did was to give his professional opinion on the state of the Bel Air Park building to the prospective purchasers. He said therefore that the KN claim that he first contacted Willems on the sale was an untruth intended to malign him and mislead the public.

“No person sought a comment from me or sought to verify the claims”, he said, adding that this was deliberate since he alleged that the authors and publishers of the article are on a campaign to bring him into disrepute.

“The authors and publishers of the said article are irresponsible, unprofessional and unethical in …their reporting”, Wordsworth declared. He demanded a retraction and apology from KN and Prime News.