The questioning by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of former PPP/C cabinet members and close affiliates, who were allocated land at ‘Pradoville 2,’ may be delayed after a request was made for the interviews to be conducted at a location other than the agency’s Camp Street headquarters.
Stabroek News understands that attorney Anil Nandlall, who is a PPP/C executive member, apparently wrote to SOCU on behalf of some of those being investigated for alleged wrongdoings and asked that interviews be conducted at alternative locations, such as a police station or the PPP’s Freedom House headquarters. It was indicated that the unit’s office was not a favourable venue.
Sources explained that recently the unit invited the principal beneficiaries of land at Pradoville 2 to be interviewed at prearranged times. Everything was on schedule, the sources said, until a letter from Nandlall was received yesterday. The matter has now been directed to the police force’s legal advisor, retired judge Claudette Singh, for guidance on the way forward.
It is unclear what may have sparked the request, which comes on the heels of a report that some of the former Cabinet members will be charged in relation to the probe into the finding of a National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) forensic audit. Several of those persons had been invited to the SOCU office to be interviewed and did so in the presence of their attorney, Nandlall, without any objection.
A special investigation of 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. The investigation, which revealed that the allocation of the land was a clandestine arrangement that was handled personally by former housing minister Irfaan Ali, concluded that a criminal case for misfeasance can be made against the six PPP/C Cabinet members who benefited.
The Cabinet members are former president Bharrat Jagdeo, former cabinet secretary Dr Roger Luncheon and former ministers Priya Manickchand, Dr Jennifer Westford, Robert Persaud and Clement Rohee.
Among the other beneficiaries of land in the development were Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack and former Chief-of-Staff Gary Best.
The forensic audit found that awardees grossly underpaid for the lots by a total of nearly $250 million, while the state-owned NICIL, the National Communications Network (NCN) and the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) were never reimbursed for millions spent to execute preparatory works.
“Our examination leads to the conclusion that the project was done outside of the established procedures and that Minister Ally [sic] piloted every aspect of the transaction without recourse to the Authority. While the minister has considerable powers under the Housing Act, his role in the issue of titles was well outside of his functions and powers,” the final report, which was seen by Stabroek News, said.
The report added that the awardees made payments to the CH&PA but these were significantly lower than the market value. “No files were maintained by CHPA for any of the plots allocated by a process that can be described as lacking transparency at best,” it further said.
It was stated that of the 28 lots, totalling 12.1187 acres, only 3.9693 acres remain unallocated. Of much concern was the involvement of Ali-Hack. The report said that she should not be involved in any investigation pertaining to this matter.
Following the completion of the special investigation and the compilation of a final report, the matter was handed over to SOCU for a criminal probe to be conducted.
Financial investigations expert Dr Sam Sittlington, who was hired to work along with SOCU, told the media several weeks ago that the unit was making progress with its investigation into this matter.
He said investigators were continuing to build a case before proceeding to question those implicated. “It is an ongoing process, but before you can interview anyone, you want to have your cards ready to deal,” he said, when asked whether the former cabinet members had been questioned.
SOCU has already written to the CH&PA several times asking for information which it believes will aid the probe.
Former head of the CH&PA board Hamilton Green had told Stabroek News in December last year that in the letters there were “a lot of questions about the way the land was allocated.” He said that it was being suggested that the allocation process was far from proper. He said that he instructed the officers to cooperate and provide the necessary information.
