The dispute over the sale of a plot of land located in the Ruimveldt Industrial Estate continues as the government owned National Industrial & Commercial Invest-ments Ltd (NICIL) and the children of Clarence Gibbs are at odds as to who has the legal right to it. The children of Gibbs are saying that the land was given to their father by the late President Forbes Burnham while officials from NICIL are contending that the land has always been government property and was only leased to the Gibbs family.
The land in question is located at Plot 30 Ruimveldt Industrial Estate (next to Twins Manufacturing Chemists), and has been advertised by NICIL as being available for sale via tender.
This plot once housed a tannery which was operated by Clarence Gibbs. However, tanning operations have ceased at the facility for some time now, and the building and compound are in a run-down state. Relatives of the Gibbs do not reside on the land, but two family friends − Glen and Keith Grant − have been living there for the last 29 years. The two brothers, who were once employed at the tannery, have been serving as caretakers of the land during this period.
A few weeks ago they were informed by officials from NICIL that they had to relocate because the land was being sold. During this encounter the officials indicated that the property belonged to NICIL and reportedly told them that $12M was owed in taxes.
When Stabroek News contacted Winston Brassington, the Executive Director of NICIL, he said that the property was owned by NICIL. According to him, the company had received the property from the Guyana National Co-operative Bank, and when the bank closed its operations all the property that was vested in it was transferred to NICIL.
An official that was attached to GNCB confirmed what Brassington said. According to the source, the property in question used to be administered by the Guyana Co-operative Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank (Gaibank) but was transferred to GNCB when operations ceased. This was done via an order made under the Co-operative Financial Institutions Act of 1995. Under this act several freehold properties were transferred to the bank and these include some plots in Ruimveldt Estate.
According to the source, although the family may have given them permission to build on the land, records show that the land was never officially owned by the family and remained government property. The source said that this phenomenon was not unique to the Gibbs family and several other persons had similar experiences in relation to property given to them by the former President.
Presently, the Grant brothers are still occupying the land but NICIL is trying to get them to move, and has issued warning letters. However, the company has extended the period for bids to be tendered until the end of this month. After that is completed, NICIL says that it will go ahead with the process to sell the land.
Members of the Gibbs family say that the property belongs to them and this assertion is supported by their lawyer Randolph Eleazar. According to him, his clients have been in legal occupation of the land for more than 30 years and that this in itself was enough to prove that they were the legal owners of the land. The lawyer told Stabroek News that Clarence Gibbs had previously operated a tannery in Albouystown, but after the residents complained about the stench emanating from it, the plot of land in Ruimveldt Estate was given to him to facilitate his operations.
According to Eleazar in spite of the claims made by NICIL, the body is yet to produce any legal document showing ownership of the land. He further said that his clients, not NCIL, had been paying taxes intermittently on the land for some years now, proof that the land was the property of the Gibbs family. However, Eleazar said that his clients were prepared to have the matter decided by the court.
Meanwhile, Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green has been identified by the Gibbs family as one of the key persons involved in the acquisition. When contacted Green said that he remembered the transaction. He said that this was part of the government initiative to encourage “both large scale and small industrial development.” The Mayor said that it was unfortunate that the family found themselves in such a position. He said that arguably the sons may not have kept up the lease agreement but he added that it was sad that the government was trying to rob the sons of Clarence Gibbs of the opportunity of maintaining their father’s legacy.
