Govt to expose ‘crooked’ land deal …between Jagdeo, Ed Ahmad
A LAND deal involving the former President and now Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and convicted U.S. businessman Ed Ahmad is expected to be revealed this week. Ahmad, who has pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud in the U.S., will know his fate on January 15, 2016 when his sentencing will take place.
Minister Joseph Harmon speaking to the press on Sunday during the PNC regional conference at Vreed-en-Hoop, Region 3 (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo)
“I will release something to the Guyanese public, where Jagdeo again during his administration arbitrarily gave a piece of land in Georgetown to his friend Ed Ahmad,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday.
It was explained that the transaction was never recorded under the Lands and Survey Commission but included in a lease document stashed away in the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) under the stewardship of Winston Brassington.
Since entering office, the APNU+AFC Government has been exposing many of the corrupt acts committed against the people of Guyana by the former PPP/C Administration.
The controversial ‘Red House’ deal and the contentious Pradoville land agreement, in which Jagdeo and five of his Ministers have been implicated, are just two of the shocking discoveries that have been made by the David Granger Administration.
But Minister Harmon, who was at the time speaking during the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Annual Regional Conference in Vreed-en-Hoop, Region 3, said Jagdeo and by the extension the PPP/C has been in the business of “giving Guyana away”.
“Over the past 23 years, they have actually given away Guyana to the foreigners, their friends and family…,” Harmon contended.
At a time when the nation is standing behind the government in objecting to the levels of aggression shown by Venezuela, the Minister of State said Jagdeo, who has been bullying and usurping the leadership of the PPP/C, has recommended that Guyana should give up a portion of its territorial rights.
In October, the Opposition Leader had said the idea of negotiating a settlement with Venezuela that would see that country being given “a channel out to the sea” was discussed while he was in power. Jagdeo had further explained that while the 1899 award could remain intact with respect to land concession, the negotiated settlement could result in a slight concession in maritime space being given to Venezuela.
In response to Jagdeo’s suggestion, Harmon said something is awfully wrong.
U.S.-based businessman Ed Ahmad
“When we have the nation standing behind the government, when we have songs like ‘not one cuirass not a blade a grass’— to have somebody like Jagdeo saying give the people a piece. What is wrong with him? Is he a sane person?”
It was pointed out that in some countries similar comments would be considered treasonable behaviour.
Venezuela has been contending that the Arbitral Award of 1899 about the frontier between British Guiana and Venezuela is null and void. The agreement also provided that no new claim or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in these territories (of Venezuela and British Guiana) shall be asserted while the agreement is in force, nor shall any claim whatsoever be asserted otherwise than in the Mixed Commission while that Commission is in being. However, under severe diplomatic pressure, Venezuela agreed to a 12-year moratorium on the dispute with the Protocol of Port of Spain in 1970.
Harmon refuted the claim often made by Venezuela that the accord was achieved on the basis of bullyism.
“In an arbitration sometimes you have to give up, Guyana gave up in that arbitration of 1899, Guyana gave land, it gave up a part of Ankoko to the Venezuelans as part of the settlement,” he pointed out.
Minister Harmon said while Venezuela is maintaining that the 1899 award is null and void it would not want to return the section of Ankoko which was initially given and negotiate from scratch.
By Svetlana Marshall
