THE Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the operations of City Hall was left with more questions than answers over who really owns the Lombard Street land, which was leased to shipping company, Quick Shipping Inc, when proprietor Paul Sandy testified on Tuesday.
The CoI heard that though Sandy leased the location at Lot 1 Mudflat Lombard Street from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (MCC), in April of 2016, through a deal with Town Clerk Royston King, two other entities have since claimed ownership of the lot.

It was revealed at the beginning of the CoI last month that the land was being claimed by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

However, Sandy revealed that the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) is also claiming ownership of the 25,000 square- foot plot, commonly referred to as the Sussex Street wharf.

Having already spent millions to develop the plot, Sandy is now seeking means to clarify the situation, having had meetings with both NICIL and GNIC, and continues to honour payments on the initial lease signed with MCC.

Though he continues to use the wharf, Sandy has halted construction on the site.
“I think the commission can appreciate Mr. Sandy’s dilemma: three different owners to the same plot,” expressed Jerome Khan, Sandy’s lawyer.

“He was in the stage of repairing when NICIL visited him.”

It was after signing the lease, at the sum of $625,000 yearly, that Sandy was approached by officials from NICIL in July 2016 and informed that the land belongs to that entity.
Subsequent to that, he received a letter from the Guyana National industrial Corporation [GNIC] also claiming ownership of this land. In a letter, GNIC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Clinton Williams wrote to head of NICIL, Horace James, outlining that GNIC had both a lease and transport for the property.

However, this further confused the commission on how the GNIC could have both a lease and transport. According to Khan, Sandy has done everything in his power to regularise his occupation of the plot; however, without a rightful owner legally identified, he is left in a predicament.

Sandy had made the decision to lease the land from the MCC, given that it was previously leased to International Fishing Investment Company Limited by the MCC.
After being approached by NICIL, Sandy did notify the town clerk, who informed him that he would be writing to the Minister of State Joseph Harmon to determine the true owners.