AS the probe into the award of State lands at Peter’s Hall, East Bank of Demerara (EBD) widens, police, on Monday, arrested prominent PNC/R member and Attorney, James Bond, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum has confirmed.

Bond, who is at the centre of several “deals”, is being questioned in relation to conspiracy to defraud the State.

He is accused of benefitting from land deals emanating from the sale of State lands while purportedly looking after the interest of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) which was presiding over the leasing of the lands.

“I’m still in police custody and am being kept for 72 hrs, at Brickdam Police Station. I will not request bail, because I have nothing to hide. I am ready and willing to do a lie detector test to prove my innocence, but I am still to be provided with the opportunity to do so,” Bond stated on his Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.
However, subsequent to that Facebook post, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor noted that “at no time was Mr. Bond asked to submit to a polygraph test or, as described by the post, a lie detector test. Further, the Force has no intention to make any such request”.
Meanwhile, NICIL has formally requested that the GPF investigate a document as an alleged forgery after it was circulated in defence of its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Colvin Heath-London.

Heath-London was arrested Friday last and is expected to be placed on station bail soon as investigations continue into the prime State lands.
London’s legal team has laid all wrongdoings at the feet of former CEO, Horace James, now deceased.

Two businessmen embroiled in the scandal – Life 1 Pharms Inc. Director, Avalon Jagnandan, and Director of A-Z Pharmaceuticals Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc., Eddie Doolal, were arrested and reportedly told investigators that it was Bond who facilitated the deals which saw 30 acres of prime State lands being transferred to Chinese national, Jianfen Yu.
Furthermore, the businessmen reportedly also disclosed to police that it was Bond, not them, who received a hefty payoff from both deals, amounting to more than $100M.
Bond also reportedly received a US$1M payment from Trinidad logistics company, Lennox Petroleum, for the sale of 10 acres of land leased to ARKEN Group Inc.
In that deal, ARKEN and its principal leased from NICIL 20.3 acres of land at Peter’s Hall on May 9, 2018 for a 20-year period at US$16,224 per year.
ARKEN later sold the 10 acres to local logistics company, GLASS Holdings Inc. on October 10, 2019 for $200M.

Like the other deals, instead of the principals of the companies receiving the payment, it was Bond who received the funds.
In the aftermath of President Irfaan Ali’s Government taking office after a five-month battle following the March 2 elections, several companies have already returned lands, which were supposed to be developed.

This occurred after a significant number of irregular land transactions involving State properties, including former sugar lands worth billions of dollars, were discovered.
In these instances, investigators found that NICIL, as the representative of the people of Guyana for the transactions, did not even collect all the money when it transferred lands into the recipients’ names.

The police and its Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) are involved in the investigations.

SOCU’s role may involve investigating whether crimes relating to money laundering were committed.
The land transactions, which spans from Wales, Peter’s Hall and Ogle, have placed attention on a number of former ministers within the Coalition Government of David Granger, now in Opposition.