Legal dispute over prime commercial land
Boyer says he didn’t notice Gafoors on property
Businessman, Eddie Boyer, has said that he didn’t notice an A.Gafoors and Sons Store on the disputed 117 “B” Regent and Alexander Streets, Georgetown property, when he acquired the transport title in 2008. Boyer was once again subjected to a series of questions in the ongoing battle, in which two commercial entities are seeking the court’s determination on the rightful ownership to the Regent Street property. National Hardware and Guyana Realty Investment Limited (GRIL) are arguing over prescriptive rights to prime commercial land in the city. Boyer, who is also known as Claude Deygoo, claims that he and his wife, Donna Deygoo, who are the proprietors of National Hardware, have legal entitlement to the said property on the basis of a transported title they acquired in September 2008. But Sattaur Gafoor, the Chairman of GRIL, which is linked to Gafoor & Sons Group of Companies, is claiming that GRIL has a rights to the property, having purchased it from a third party (Stanley Collymore) in 1993, to use the premises to operate a paint shop.
National Hardware Proprietor, Eddie Boyer
Proprietor of Gafoors and Sons, Sattaur Gafoors
The matter is being heard by Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire at the High Court in Georgetown. The Boyers are being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Devindra Kissoon and Rajendra Poonai, while GRIL is being represented by Rex McKay S.C, Edward Luckhoo S.C, and Neil Boston. Boyer had previously been questioned about the tenants, who operated businesses from the building located at 117 “B” Regent and Alexander Streets, Georgetown. Mahendra Gangaram, Donna Chase and Franklin Bumbury were the names of some of the persons who rented the building. Boyer had recalled seeing documents signed between Stanley Collymore and Donna Chase, to that effect. Chase had rented the building from Collymore, who had previously controlled the property. On Friday, Attorney -at- Law Neil Boston cross -examined the businessman. Boston confronted the witness with excerpts from the evidence presented in the trial and again questioned Boyer about his knowledge of tenants and businesses located at the said Regent Street property. While he admitted that the persons had been tenants on the property, the witness said that Gangaram was no tenant of his. He later clarified that the three persons occupied the building, but Bumbury became his tenant in 2008. Boyer explained that Bumbury rented the property and then subleased it to the other persons. The Attorney then asked the witness, whether since visiting the property from 1998 to now, he had seen an A. Gafoors and Sons Store, there. “No!” bluntly replied Boyer. He maintained that he had seen no Hardware or Paint Store under that name on the said property, during that time. Following the cross examinations, Boyer‘s attorney, Devindra Kissoon sought clarifications on some of the statements made but this exercise was however met with objection from the Judge and opposing team of Attorneys. The matter is scheduled for continuation on October16.
