Cabinet yesterday took a decision to have Attorney-General Basil Williams prepare a report to explain the compulsory acquisition of two plots of land at Carmichael and Middle streets belonging to High Commissioner to Canada Clarissa Riehl and the Beharry Group of Companies, while the latter is preparing a legal challenge.
Sources told Stabroek News that the issue was discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, where a decision was taken to “have an explanation sought on the matter” before a decision on the way forward is made.
Sources close to Riehl said that she was not aware of the move by government to acquire her property until she read about it in a Stabroek News report and it caught her off guard as she had made it clear to Williams that she was not prepared to relinquish the property.
While he did not want to go into details, Suresh Beharry, Managing Director of the Beharry Group, told Stabroek News yesterday that his company has retained an attorney to deal with the issue. “Yes our land too… and yes we have sought legal representation,” he said.
Government issued an order last month to acquire the east quarter of Lot 92 Middle and Carmichael streets under The Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act, which was signed by Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson.
According to a notice in the Official Gazette of September 24, the land is described as follows: “East quarter of Lot numbered 92 …Middle and Carmichael streets …with all the buildings and erections thereon, save and except the building and erections situate on sub-lot lettered ‘A’ part of the said quarter lot the property of Patrick L O’Dowd, and save and except the said sub-lot ‘A’ as shown and defined on a plan by Sugreen A Nehaul, Sworn Land Surveyor, dated 19th June 1947, and deposited in Deeds Registry on 26th June, 1947, transported to the said Patrick L O’ Dowd on 23rd May, 1960 – No.910.”
An order was also issued in relation to the Beharry land.
The acquisition of private land by the state has been a sensitive issue for a number of decades.
Patterson has since distanced himself from the acquisition of the land, while saying that all queries for its use should be directed to Williams. “Ask Basil,” he said when he was questioned on Friday by this newspaper.
Williams, who told a news conference last Friday that the government had not had any negative responses from either property owner, has claimed that the plan to compulsorily acquire the land was inherited from the PPP/C administration.
However, this has been disputed by both former President Donald Ramotar and then Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who has since called on Williams to produce the evidence to substantiate his allegations.
Ramotar has explained that his government had approached both owners, as it sought to expand the Attorney General’s Chambers, located in the next lot, but they both informed that they were not selling and therefore he was advised to seek alternative lands.
Williams has also said that each owner would be paid $20M for their land, a sum which Nandlall has said was not only paltry but pales in comparison to the current market value.
Persons close to Riehl are furious at what has happened and informed that a plan for the construction of a structure on the land had already been approved and she and her husband were waiting for the right time to start the construction.
