Homeowners lose legal battle

Two families that live at Anjer Housing Park which was formerly known as Danny’s Villa Park have been told by a judge that they must vacate their newly constructed homes because creditors have won the legal battle against the late real estate dealer Surindre Mungra. The residents received a letter from the process-server, informing them that their homes and plots will be auctioned on November 22. The residents from the private housing projects have condemned the latest developments. The spokesman of the residents, Fred Lobman, pointed out that the families that have built homes in the project have lived there for many years. They also invested their own money in getting their homes connected to the electricity and water network. They already have electricity and soon they will also get water straight from the tap. The government has also pitched in by repairing the roads within the project. Creditors who had failed in their attempts to get their money back filed a lawsuit and managed to have the entire project seized, including the plots that had already been sold. Earlier this year the creditors successfully filed lawsuits against individual homeowners who were dragged into the dispute between the creditors and the real estate dealer. Lobman deems it regrettable that the first couple of families will be evicted on November 22. “The residents are at their wits’ end. This case has already worn out many lawyers and futile attempts were made to keep the residents from ending up on the street. Most of the residents had bought their plots long before the seizure but because of the long period between the purchase and transfer of ownership, the creditors successfully managed to have the plots that had already been sold, seized. The people are desperately asking the government, the creditors, the Bar, the association of Jurists in Suriname and everybody else to help find a solution so that the residents of Danny’s Villa Park can save their investments and keep their roofs over their heads. They were not part of the deals between the real estate dealer and the creditors but they are paying the price. They are demanding justice.”