Dear Editor,
I have read, with interest, the letter captioned ‘Cabinet acted immediately upon being notified of the concerns over the sale of the Lamaha Gardens land and took several actions’ by the Attorney General in Stabroek News of February 18.
I wish to thank the Attorney General for making it quite clear that the Ministry of Local Government has no lawful power to waive rates and taxes; that is the responsibility of the Mayor and City Council.
The Ministry of Local Government by letter dated January 3, 2013 wrote the Town Clerk approving a waiver of $3,219,046 due in rates for the property by the CSA Co-op Housing Society to the Mayor and City Council, when, as the Attorney General has stated, it had no lawful authority to do so.
A Certificate of Compliance by the city council is necessary for the sale of land in Georgetown.
Did the letter from the Ministry of Local Government facilitate the issuing of a Certificate of Compliance by the city council? The property was transported on January 7, 2013.
Another irregularity in the sale of the Lamaha Gardens Playground has now been exposed.
Thank you very much Attorney General.
Yours faithfully,
WR McArthur
Interim Chairman
CSA Co-op Housing Scheme
