The Enmore Neighbour-hood Democratic Council (NDC) has sued top officials of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) and the Attorney General over the seizure of its computers on April 6th and is seeking over $5m in damages.
In proceedings filed yesterday, SARU Head, Dr Clive Thomas and its Chief Executive Officer, Aubrey Heath-Retemyer have been listed as the first and second defendants.
The NDC is seeking damages in excess of $1m for trespass committed on April 6, 2017 at the NDC office at Station Road by a party of five men who claimed to be members of SARU.
The NDC is also seeking damages in excess of $1m for the unlawful seizure and confiscation of the computer systems with backup power packs, all the property of the NDC.
Further, the NDC is seeking damages in excess of $1m for the unlawful detention of the desktop computer systems and backup power packs. The lawsuit is also seeking damages in excess of $1m for the conversion of a quantity of the desktop computer systems and power packs. Aggravated and exemplary damages are also being sought in excess of $1m.
The NDC is also praying for an order directing the defendants to return the said desktop computer systems along with the power packs to the NDC or to pay the NDC for the value thereof.
The proceedings were issued by attorney at law Anil Nandlall and associates. It came after a demand to SARU did not see the return of the computers.
A press release from the People’s Progressive Party on April 6 said that around 2 pm that day, a group of men who identified themselves as officials from SARU, entered the East Coast Demerara NDC’s office in the company of Deochan Singh, an APNU+AFC councillor and removed the desktop computers and eight backup power-packs “without the permission of the NDC or the Community Resource Centre”.
“These equipment are owned by the Community Resource Centre, a non-governmental organization, established by the residents of Enmore that uses these equipment to hold classes for young people in the community,” the statement said, while pointing out that the classes are held in the upper flat of the NDC building.
However, according to the CEO of SARU, Heath-Retemyer, they received a message from someone from the NDC informing them that there was a plan to remove the equipment from the NDC.
“So when we got the information we told E-Governance and we escorted them to uplift the computers because there was nobody there who had real responsibility or could account for them,” Heath-Retemyer told Stabroek News while pointing out that the equipment was all taken back to the E-Governance headquarters where they will figure out what’s the next course of action and what will be done with the equipment.
He stressed that the SARU officials only went to the NDC to accompany the E-Governance personnel. “The previous government evidently gave it to the community but nobody seemed to have had responsibility for them. There are several buildings that the PPP have issued computers (to) that are left unattended. When you give those things someone ought to sign for them and be responsible,” he added.
Heath-Retemyer also added that it wasn’t the first time that SARU officials were working together with E-Governance to retrieve equipment as they would’ve done so several times before.
“From time to time we get information that computers are left unattended in buildings and we retrieve them through E-Governance and they would’ve reissued them to whoever is prepared to sign for them and can use them,” he said.
In the days that followed the seizure, the two sides of the NDC had differing versions on the intended fate of the computers. The computers were handed over to the NDC several years ago by the Caribbean Development Bank-funded Basic Needs Trust Fund.
