IRFAAN Ali’s High Court challenge to the 19 fraud charges laid against him was adjourned when it was called before Justice Franklyn Holder on Friday.

The charges stemmed from the sale of lands at the Pradoville 2 scheme, Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.

The matter has been adjourned to next Thursday, giving the parties time to file written submissions. The matter was brought to the High Court by Ali, after he was charged with 19 counts of fraud last November. The charges read that between 2010 and 2015, Ali conspired with persons unknown to defraud the Government of Guyana when he acted recklessly in presenting the value of 19 plots of state land situated at Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara, and sold the said lands at grossly undervalued prices without first obtaining a valuation to determine their true value.

The matter is currently being heard by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. However, Ali recently filed an application in the High Court asking that all the charges be quashed on the grounds that they were bad in law and that he acted lawfully.

His attorney Devindra Kissoon told the media that he is unable to speak on the matter until its completion next Thursday. The judge will rule next week on the stay of proceedings and the substantive matter will be heard on February 5th, 2018.

Ali is accused of defrauding the state of over $174M after selling the lands at undervalued prices. The former minister of housing is accused of selling the lands to former President Bharrat Jagdeo; former Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon; and former ministers Priya Manickchand, Dr. Jennifer Westford, Robert Persaud and Clement Rohee; Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former army head Gary Best and Fortune Developers Inc., Guyana.

He also sold lands at the locations to former General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board and daughter of former President Donald Ramotar, Lisa Ramotar; former President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo; the son of former Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul, Dr Ghansham Singh; former Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Chief Executive Officer Rajendra Singh; former president of the Caribbean Development Bank, Compton Bourne; Andrew Bishop, former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission; former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Shaik Baksh, Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq.