Georgetown : The Guyana Government has ended a questionable land lease deal that was ‘gifted’ to Ed Ahmad, close friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. This was announced at yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, which was chaired by Minister of State Joseph Harmon.
According to Harmon, the 2008 deal ‘reeked of corruption’ or it had to be an exceptional case of ‘Administrative efficiency in Government business,’ exemplified by the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.
The Minister of State explained that the leasing of the 3.41 acres of State land, located at the western corner of Thomas Lands and Irving Street, was for a paltry $500,000 yearly. Harmon added that it was not just the price, but the very nature of the terms and pace of the whole process that suggested a ‘back door kind of arrangement between Former President Jagdeo and his friend Ed Ahmad.”
The copy of the arrangement, given to media operatives at the press brief today, shows that the lease was granted to Generation Complex Inc., with Ahmad as the principal lessee. On the said land, Ahmad made a commitment to erect a 150-room hotel, restaurants, bars, clubs, multi-purpose halls and a grand casino, all totallingaboutUS$75 million. However, none of this materialised, and Ahmad had made only one payment. The arrangement also made allowances that after a certain time frame, the lessee, Ahmad, would have been able to purchase the land.
Harmon, also a lawyer by training, noted that the entire process-from applying for the lease and actually obtaining it-was way too short, and rife with illegalities. He detailed that Ahmad, of 105-20 Liberty Avenue, Ozone Park, New York, USA, made his application on May 22,2008, at which time; the Government and the Public Service Utility Company (PSUC) were engaged in a legal battle over the land lease of which the PSUC was in possession. However, by May 30, Ahmad was issued with the lease. The Minister explained this this ‘rapid closure to the issue’ smacks of many illegalities, namely that there was no time given for the holder of the lease, nor surrounding occupants, to file any possible objections to the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission. This was precluded, Harmon explained, because Ahmad’s application was approved on May 27, “a mere five days after he applied, and this was done without any kind of advertisement.”
The Minister highlighted another illegal aspect of the transaction, detailing that a Cadastral Survey was done on May 29, 2008, the same day that the plan was registered. He summarised the process by highlighting that especially in Guyana, it was not possible to actually apply for a lease, have it approved, get the survey done, and then be issued with the legal document within a one-week time frame.
Harmon, in answering the Leader of the Opposition’s calls for ‘evidence of corruption,’ stated that,"When Mr. Jagdeo speaks about corruption and bringing the evidence, here it is, here it is; his friend, the company, Mr. Ahmad sees a piece of land, says I like this piece of land, and within one week, he is able to get a full lease for that land and to pay a certain sum of money and be given permission to bold a 150- room hotel with casino and all of that, in an area that is required for recreational purposes,” the Minister declared.
Ahmad was charged with enticing buyers into subprime mortgages, inflating the values of their properties, and concealing his involvement by using straw buyers.After a lengthy three-year trial, he pleaded guilty and is set to be sentenced on January 15, 2016, in the US.
You must be logged in to post a comment.