The criminal proceedings against PNCR member James Bond and former acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Colvin Heath-London, who are accused of conspiring to defraud the state through the unsanctioned disposal of land at Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, will be disposed of via a summary trial.
The matters were called before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown on Monday, when the prosecutor requested that the matters be disposed of summarily.
Bond and Heath-London were both absent from the hearing. However, Bond’s attorney informed the court that his client was running late, while Heath-London’s attorney told the court that he was absent because he was stranded in Jamaica.
The other two accused, businessman Eddie Doolal, and Jermaine Richmond, were present at the hearing.
The matters were adjourned until May 10, when the four accused will be allowed to plead to the charges.
There are three charges before the court.
The particulars of the first charge states that Heath-London, Bond and Doolal, between August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2020, at Georgetown, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its sole shareholder, the Government of Guyana, of property interest in land, namely the Grant of a Lease of lands known as plot A7, A8, A20 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, owned by NICIL, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do same and for the purposes other than that of NICIL.
The second charge states that Heath-London and Bond, between August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2020, at Georgetown, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its sole shareholder, the Government of Guyana, of property interest in land, namely the Grant of a Lease of lands known as plot A17, A18 and A19 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, owned by NICIL, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do same and for the purposes other than that of NICIL.
A third charge states that Heath-London, Bond and Richmond, between August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2020, conspired together and with others to defraud NICIL and its sole shareholder, the Government of Guyana, of property interest in land, namely the Grant of a Lease of lands known as plot A1, A2, A3, A4 Plantation Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, owned by NICIL, without the necessary Board and Cabinet approval to do same and for the purposes other than that of NICIL.
Bond was granted $50,000 bail on each of the three charges, while Doolal and Richmond were granted bail in the sum of $100,000 each.
Late last year, the Guyana Police Force and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) received three files from Attorney General Anil Nandlall for the investigation of leases for several acres of prime state land at Peters Hall, EBD, which were done without any valuation, public advertisement or Cabinet decisions.
SOCU has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the land deals, in which Bond is alleged to have been a key financial beneficiary.
Bond allegedly arranged several of the deals and benefitted from the sale of the lease rights.
At the time, he was also supposedly looking after the interest of NICIL, which was presiding over the leasing of the lands.
