‘I gave notice to the Berbice Cricket Board to vacate building on February 1, 2017’

Dear Editor,

My attention was drawn to a letter to the editor that appeared in your newspaper on Saturday,  March 18 concerning Berbice cricket. In the letter Mr D Somwaru who signed as the 1st Vice President of the Berbice Cricket Board accused the Secretary of the Board of changing the lease for the Berbice Cricket Board into her name. As the landlord of the building, I find this accusation very scandalous and libellous.

My family has been renting the building to the Berbice Cricket Board as its office on a month-to-month basis for over 20 years, and as far as I know there was no lease agreement.

As part of my business plans for the future, in late 2016, I decided to give notice to the Berbice Cricket Board to vacate the building on or before the 1st February, 2017. I did not want to be caught up in the numerous problems affecting Berbice and Guyana cricket.

The notice to quit and vacate the premises was sent to Ms Angela Haniff, Secretary of the Berbice Cricket Board.

Ms Haniff has been a personal friend of mine for over three decades and it was my idea to ask her to rent the building for her to do her business there. We have entered into an Agreement of Tenancy effective 2nd February, 2017. In our agreement there is an increase in the rental. The rental for February, 2017 was paid by Angela Haniff and the receipt issued in her name. She currently operates a typing business and is a sales representative of Europiel and Pallaido Cosmetic & Household articles at the building.

Mr Somwaru came to me and asked about a lease and I told him no lease was entered into by the Berbice Cricket Board and myself.

I sincerely hope that Mr Somwaru gets his facts correct before writing letters to the media giving the general public the wrong impression of Ms Haniff. Mr Somwaru owes Ms Haniff and myself a public apology.

Yours faithfully,

Bryan Vijay Persaud