The names of those who upped payment for lands allocated to them in `Pradoville 2’ cannot be made public until the 2018 annual report is tabled in the National Assembly, Director of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) Professor Clive Thomas recently insisted.
“I cannot give any information. I will write it and submit it in the report… [which] is being drafted,” Thomas related to Stabroek News during a recent interview.
Concerns were raised after outgoing SARA Special Assistant, Eric Phillips disclosed that because of confidentiality clauses, the identities of the two beneficiaries, who together paid over $40M more cannot be disclosed. Observers have argued that given that the lands are state property any deals struck should be made public for the sake of transparency.
When asked about SARA’s decision not to name these persons, Thomas explained that procedure has to be followed. He said that this information will be placed in the agency’s annual report and upon completion the document will be sent to parliament for it to be tabled.
He recalled that a newspaper personality had contacted him for this information and he made it clear that he could not divulge the names. Thomas told Stabroek News that providing names to that particular person is the “worst thing” he could do because the information would have been published. “It will be very contentious giving the implications that I leaked … the information. He is not going to use it responsibility so I said that I cannot give any information.” The exchange between the two was subsequently published by the newspaper personality.
Thomas said that the process he had earlier outlined is the “only route I can go because I am bound by the statute”
Further, he stressed “It’s not something to hide, [it’s] just that I am not giving any individuals before it [the names] is delivered to the authorities that I am bound by law to give them to.”
A special investigation of the Sparendaam Housing Project, referred to as Pradoville 2, which was part of a larger probe of the financial operations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), was conducted by accounting firm Ram & McRae in the latter part of 2015. The investigation revealed that the allocation of the land was a clandestine arrangement that was handled personally by Ali and it was concluded that a criminal case for misfeasance could be made against the PPP/C Cabinet members who benefitted.
Lots were allocated to six Cabinet members—former president Bharrat Jagdeo, cabinet secretary Dr Roger Luncheon and ministers Priya Manickchand, Dr Jennifer Westford, Robert Persaud and Clement Rohee—along with other persons with connections to the then government. Among the other beneficiaries were Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack and former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Gary Best.
The forensic audit found that awardees grossly underpaid for the lots by a total of nearly $250 million, while the state-owned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), National Communications Network (NCN) and Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) were never reimbursed for millions spent to execute preparatory works.
The findings of the investigation were later referred to SOCU for a criminal probe to be launched.
Ali was slapped with 19 charges late last year in connection with the sale of the lands. The case is still before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Following his arrest and subsequent questioning by SOCU, Persaud, a former Minister of Natural Resources, had hinted that he would be ready to settle the price difference with the state, if it proves that the land was sold to him at an undervalued price.
(Persaud bought 0.3030 of an acre of land in 2007 for $1.5 million. Five years later he sold the property for $90 million.)
The PPP/C’s legal representative, Anil Nandlall, had however said that Jagdeo and other former ministers have “ruled out” this option.
Earlier this year, civil recovery proceedings were filed against nine beneficiaries, including former President Jagdeo. The hearing of those matters has been stayed pending the outcome of a High Court application which challenges the legitimacy of the agency. The application which is in the name of Ramon Gaskin was filed on July 7, 2017 claiming 33 reliefs.
Thomas during the recent interview informed Stabroek News that more civil recovery proceedings will be filed in the coming months.
