In 2017, the BV/Triumph Neighbourhood Democratic Council sold 33 house lots for $1 million each, using a system it described as a lottery, however there are no records to substantiate the process, and the list of names reveals that most of the allottes are council members and their families, and persons not from the community, Councillor Elton McRae has alleged.
With a dossier of documents to back up his claims, McRae said that transports for the properties were passed in 2019, to some persons who had not even finished paying for the lands. In light of these revelations, he wants an investigation into the deal, as he feels the Council owes this to the residents of the community.
“In 2017, they said they had 21 house lots for sale. Yet when they had a lottery, 33 house lots were sold, according to this blue sheet,” he said, whilst holding up the list of names of allottees. “Only now we know that transports were already passed and how much the lots were sold for which is $1 million apiece,” he told the Stabroek News in an interview.
“Now when checks are made of the list of allottees, only (a) few are from the community. And those who are, are related to the executives in the NDC, contractors of the NDC, and other employees. How could that be fair? You have people here that could afford those lands but you gone outside your village? I could have gone to the police with this info but I want the Council to answer about this arrangement.”
Yesterday, McRae told the press that not only should there be a police investigation into the matter but that the lands should be repossessed and given to community members who are deserving.
“This should lead to an investigation of the council, although the transports were passed,” he stressed.
“There are deserving teachers, carpenters, police, nurses…” he added as he pointed out that he believes that the “lottery” was designed for a certain catchment.
Several calls by this newspaper to Chairman of the NDC, Jimmaul Bagot for a comment, went unanswered.
McRae said that he has asked about the process of distribution of the lands and was told that there was a lottery, “but no one could say when this lottery took place, who was present and how the draw occurred.”
The determination of the value is also not clear, given that market prices put the same lands at around $10 million at the time.
From documents provided by McRae which he said were from the Registry, some 33 persons are listed for lands “sold by the Beterverwagting and Triumph NDC in Eastern Half of North Triumph (Triumph Front Lands)” in an area also referred to as New Generation Housing Scheme.
On that list, Bagot’s name is referenced as the holder of Lot 8 for which he holds transport number 1683/2019 that was issued on November 20, 2019.
McRae said that he was tired of controversies with the NDC and pointed out that it seemed a recurrence, given that the Council was recently tied up in court over lands it illegally took payment for from John Fernandes Limited. “Here we go again with this same council and lands!” he lamented.
In December of 2021, this newspaper reported on the controversial agreement between JFL and the BV NDC. Details of the $35 million deal had only come to light when the agreement document was leaked, according to McRae.
According to the terms, JFL was supposed to pay the NDC $20 million on the signing of the agreement and the remainder when the transport was passed. Observers had deemed the $35 million figure as paltry but more importantly, the deal related to some lands which the NDC had no jurisdiction over.
After negative publicity over the deal, JFL backed out of it. It was later, however, revealed that JFL transferred its interest in the arrangement to a mystery company, Mohamed Sons and Daughters Trading. This had become known when JFL returned a cheque to the NDC for the $20 million refund.
The NDC had earlier received a lawyer’s letter from Mohamed Sons and Daughters Trading, directing it to make preparations for the passing of the transport, a development which set off alarm bells among residents, who feared efforts were still being made to take their lands despite the disavowal by JFL.
The community protested against JFL last year and said that it appeared that the company was unperturbed that it had transferred its interest in a matter where private holdings are at stake, property that the NDC has no control over.
It was McRae who noted that if JFL was no longer interested in the land, they should not have gone to a third party, rather they should have simply asked the NDC for the $20 million refund. “Why [they] have to go to a third party…?” McRae questioned.
“We have not given anyone permission to transfer our properties – to sell, lease, rent or occupy and we will challenge the council’s right to attempt to [usurp] our lands,” McRae said.
Mohamed Sons and Daughters Trading later took the NDC to court for the council to be ordered to release to the Trading company, the 143 acres once it would have paid the balance of the $35 million purchase price as had originally been agreed between the NDC and JFL.
The land controversy finally ended on February 21 this year when Justice Gino Persaud granted the request of Mohamed Sons and Daughters Trading to have the case against the Beterverwagting/Triumph Neighbourhood Democratic Council in the land dispute withdrawn.
