…for role in sale of Pradoville 2 lands

FORMER President and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds along with several other former government officials on Wednesday afternoon appeared before the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU) for questioning in relation to the role they played in the sale of state lands at Pradoville 2.

Hinds was accompanied by former Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall; former Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai; former Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsarran and former Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday afternoon.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, former Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira and former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee also received calls from SOCU for questioning. Opposition Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall, told reporters prior to the meeting with SOCU on Wednesday afternoon that “as far as we are aware,” certain members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Cabinet who attended a particular meeting in March 2010 have been invited by SOCU for questioning.
Following the appearance, Nandlall, who was making an appearance as an attorney for his colleagues, told reporters that the former ministers were asked a number of questions in relation to Pradoville2. He said it was the subject of a Cabinet meeting back in 2010.

“Nobody could remember, the Cabinet meeting took place 10 years ago or thereabout and therefore hardly can anyone remember what transpired at the Cabinet meeting,” Nandlall said.

He said what was discussed at Cabinet is a confidential matter and that members of Cabinet cannot disclose “confidential matters “to anyone. He said too that the former ministers were shown by SOCU a document that has a format of Cabinet, but he noted that it appears to have been unsigned.

Nandlall said a number of other officials of the former government are expected to appear at SOCU and when asked if Jagdeo will appear, he said “I have no such information.” He said he believes the entire situation “is designed to culminate in some set of charges which we have been told are likely to come.”He posited that SOCU is building a case and what he considers “relevant evidence” towards the establishment of a case.

He said his clients have refused to sign the documents that contain the answers to the questions which they were asked, because they were refused a copy of the document containing their answers.

Earlier on Wednesday, former ministers of government Manzoor Nadir and Robeson Benn were grilled by SOCU. Speaking to another media entity, former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said: “It appears that SOCU has again begun to call all the ministers of the former administration — the PPP/C government– to continue with the puppy show they are going on with.”

The Guyana Chronicle reported recently that charges are expected to be instituted against persons fingered in the Sparendaam Housing Project AKA Pradoville Two, land scam, according to a well-placed source. The Guyana Chronicle understands that investigations into the housing project are near completion, and that charges could be laid soon. The investigations are based on a forensic audit which found that several persons close to the last government had received prime seafront property belonging to the state at extraordinarily low cost.