The attorney for former acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Colvin Heath-London, who is accused of conspiring to defraud the state through the unsanctioned disposal of land at Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, has requested that a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) be conducted into the charges against him.
When Heath-London appeared at a Georgetown court on Monday, his attorney made the request for the PI to be conducted to determine if there is sufficient evidence for the matter to be heard at the High Court.
The other accused, PNCR member James Bond, businessman Eddie Doolal, and Jermaine Richmond, have all entered not guilty pleas before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan who re-read the charges to them.
The magistrate then adjourned the matters until May 27, when statements will be served and Heath-London’s attorney will present his argument as to why a PI should be conducted.
At a previous hearing the prosecutor had requested that the matters be disposed of summarily.
The particulars of a joint charge states that Heath-London, Bond and Doolal, between August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2020, at Georgetown, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its sole shareholder, the Government of Guyana, of property interest in land, namely the Grant of a Lease of lands known as plot A7, A8, A20 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, owned by NICIL, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do same and for the purposes other than that of NICIL.
A second charge states that Heath-London and Bond, between August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2020, at Georgetown, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its sole shareholder, the Government of Guyana, of property interest in land, namely the Grant of a Lease of lands known as plot A17, A18 and A19 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, owned by NICIL, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do same and for the purposes other than that of NICIL.
A third charge states that Heath-London, Bond and Richmond, between August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2020, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its sole shareholder, the Government of Guyana, of property interest in land, namely the Grant of a Lease of lands known as plot A1, A2, A3, A4 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, owned by NICIL, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do same and for the purposes other than that of NICIL.
Bond was granted $50,000 bail on each of the three charges, while Doolal and Richmond were granted bail in the sum of $100,000 each.
Late last year, the Guyana Police Force and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) received three files from Attorney General Anil Nandlall for the investigation of leases for several acres of prime state land at Peters Hall, EBD, which were done without any valuation, public advertisement or Cabinet decisions.
SOCU has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the land deals, in which Bond is alleged to have been a key financial beneficiary.
Bond allegedly arranged several of the deals and benefitted from the sale of the lease rights.
At the time, he was also supposedly looking after the interest of NICIL, which was presiding over the leasing of the lands.
