– anticipates report by Friday

The City Hall Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Monday visited the disputed Lot 1 Mud Lot Lombard Street, popularly called the ‘Sussex Street Wharf’, as they continue their investigations into the operations Mayor and City Council (MCC) with the hopes of completing their report by this Friday.

COI Chairman Justice (ret’d) Cecil Kennard, along with legal officer Sherwin Benjamin and representatives from the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) visited the Wharf, which is currently being occupied by Quick Shipping Inc, on a lease from the MCC.

Questions of the ownership of the Sussex Street Wharf was one of the main issues discussed at the CoI which concluded public hearings earlier this month. The Wharf was leased by Town Clerk, Royston King, however all evidence points to the fact that the land is not owned by the MCC; from all indications the land is owned by NICIL.
Justice Kennard said that the Commission needed to see the land as he works towards a conclusion of whether or not King was in his right to lease the land to the shipping company.

“We wanted to see the actual area. All we were seeing so far is documents, so we wanted to see where it is located, and it would seem by looking at both transport that the transport the city holds is not for the land. I haven’t come to a definite conclusion as yet, we still have to look at all the evidence,” he said.

Kennard did not say what sanctions would be recommended against the Town Clerk if it is concluded that land was illegally leased by King.

In defending himself when he was summoned before the CoI to answer to the issue, King had produced a transport – `Transport #2803 of 1966’ – which he said showed that the MCC owned the land and had a right to lease.

Prior to that NICIL also had submitted a transport – `Land Transport #525 of 1985’ – which they said covered their ownership of the land, leaving much questions over who had rights to the land. However a closer look at the transport submitted by King showed that the transport does not correspond to the location of the disputed land.

Transport #2803/1966 cedes two plots of land to the MCC, neither of which is the disputed plot of land. The disputed plot is the first plot of land north of Sussex Street and west of Lombard Street.

Plans at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) show that neither of the land listed on the transport submitted by King is anywhere around the Sussex Street Wharf land. The plan listed on the transport submitted by NICIL was not available at GLSC, however the description on NICIL’s transport matches the location of the Sussex Street Wharf.

Justice Kennard is expected to make a definite decision based on the evidence when he submits his report to the Local Government Commission (LGC). According to Kennard his team is working towards completing the report by Friday, however that will depend on the completion of assessment of all the evidence submitted to the CoI.

“We’re working towards that end, that is our objective at the moment,” He said.
According to Justice Kennard the CoI is still working on the first draft of the report.
The Commission conducted public hearings from September 24 – November 2 and saw over 50 witnesses appearing and giving statements, several more statements were submitted by persons who did not appear.