Environment body refutes claim by Ed Ahmad company

The Environmental Prote-tion Agency (EPA) has refuted claims by South American Woods Incor-porated (SAW Inc) that an application was denied for the establishment of a wood processing facility at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

In documentation obtained by Stabroek News, it was stated that the EPA had never received an application for an environmental authorization for the project held by controversial New York-based businessman Edul Ahmad and Shareef Ahmad on behalf of SAW Inc.

The document from the permit division of the EPA dated June 19, 2014 states that “the agency has received an Application for Environmental Authorization from Mr Shareef Ahmad to operate a Transit Point for Logs at 29, Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara. Mr Shareef Ahmad’s project underwent the Environmental Authorization Process and was subsequently issued an Environmental Permit (Ref# 20110209-SAWOO) on August 17, 2011 and expires on July 31, 2014.”

This would suggest that the company which controversially transformed its Leonora land into a housing estate recently had been interested in the export of logs from the very start.

SAW Inc Director, Shareef Ahmad had recently told Stabroek News that an application was made for the wood processing plant