Attorney General Basil Williams yesterday declined to say whether he has provided an explanation about the beginning of the process to compulsorily acquire Carmichael Street plots to Cabinet as he had been instructed as, according to him, discussions at such fora are not for the public’s ears.
“I can’t discuss with you what transpired at my Cabinet. You know we have post-Cabinet briefings and they are to deal with that at that time,” he said, when Stabroek News asked about the issue during a press conference held at his office.
He also said that before anything reached to Cabinet he had indicated quite clearly that he never compulsorily acquired anybody’s land.
Pressed for an answer as to whether he had submitted the explanation at the meeting held on Tuesday, he maintained his position that the details of Cabinet meetings are not to be made public.
“You are now encouraging me to breach the sanctity of our deliberations? We have a procedure for you to get information out of our Cabinet,” he said before indicating that recently he had written a letter about this newspaper’s “intrusion into our Cabinet affairs.”
Concerns have been expressed over the government’s decision to take possession of the lands which are owned by Guyana’s High Commissioner to Canada Clarissa Riehl and her husband, Thurston, and the Beharry Group of Companies. Riehl’s land is located at the corner of Carmichael and Middle streets, while the Beharry plot is immediately north, next to the Ministry of Legal Affairs’ building. It has already been established that the planned purpose of the compulsory acquisition was facilitate the expansion of the Ministry of Legal Affairs/Attorney General Chambers. This project, Williams had said, is slated to begin next year.
The government last month issued the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes (Government Buildings) Order 2016, indicating the proposed construction of the land at the east quarter of Lot 92 Middle and Carmichael streets and declaring it a public work. This is the land belonging to Riehl and this news-paper was told that a similar order was made with regard to the other plot.
The order granted permission to the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, together with his agents, to enter upon the land for the purpose of surveying with a view towards acquisition of the whole or a part.
It was signed by Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, who is an executive of the AFC, but he has since distanced himself from the matter and said that all questions should be directed to the Attorney General.
Both Riehl and the Beharry Group had declined offers by the previous PPP/C government to purchase the lands. This newspaper was told that Riehl was approached by this government and she had again declined.
After the controversy blew up, the Attorney General denied that government had compulsorily acquired the private properties, saying the order issued to allow for surveying works was a prerequisite for negotiations with the owners.
He had said too that he inherited the plan from the PPP/C government. That party immediately denied Williams’ assertions and called on him to produce evidence to substantiate his claims.
Last Friday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said that the matter came up at Cabinet and it was decided that Williams would have to explain. He said too that the AG had until Tuesday to deliver that explanation.
Williams was not at the October 11 and 18 meetings. However, following the first meeting, Stabroek News had reported that Cabinet had made a decision to have Williams explain. The following day, this newspaper reported that Cabinet had decided that the orders would be rescinded. Williams later accused this newspaper of being malicious and erroneous in its reportage of the matter.
