Jagdeo calls SARA lawsuit for recovery of ‘Pradoville 2’ land ‘political’
Calling the proceedings initiated by the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) to repossess his land in the ‘Pradoville 2’ Housing Scheme political, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo became visibly annoyed at persistent queries about his reasons for refusing to settle the price difference for the property and told Prime News reporter and president of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) Nazima Raghubir that the question was “stupid.”
“…Because I rejected it and I… don’t have no basis. What kind of stupid question is that?” he asked before a heated exchange ensued between the two.
After ignoring an earlier question posed by Raghubir regarding the cost of his property, Jagdeo informed that he had preempted an offer by SARA “by saying even if they offer me to pay one cent more to settle it, I would reject it.”
It was on this basis that Raghubir asked him to clarify. After describing her question as stupid, he said “that is my position. I rejected that… I am not wasting my time.” He later told the journalist that she has to apply “deductive reasoning” to what he was saying before adding “I get impatient with silly questions.”
In her defence, Raghubir stressed to Jagdeo that he was making a statement that needed clarity. She firmly said, “That is not a stupid question, it’s a logical question…you made a statement and I am asking you to clarify” and she added, “I get impatient with silly statements….”
Earlier, Jagdeo confirmed that he had been served with the court documents in the civil recovery case recently filed by SARA. The agency is seeking to recover two plots of land that were controversially sold to Jagdeo while he was president. Proceedings were also filed against former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, former Education Minister Shaik Baksh, Lisaveta Ramotar, who is the daughter of former president Donald Ramotar, businessman Ramesh Dookhoo, former University Guyana Chancellor Professor Compton Bourne, and of Florrie Loretta Ramnauth, who were each awarded one plot.
One of Jagdeo’s plots measures 1.5 acres, according to the court documents seen by the Stabroek News. He currently lives on the properties.
In each of the cases, SARA is asking the court to grant an order restraining the defendant and/or his servants from disposing of, attempting to dispose, encumbering and or attempting to encumber, dealing with and or attempting to deal with the respective properties; an order setting aside the Certificate of Title; a Civil Recovery Order transferring the respective properties to the Asset Manager or such other person as the Court may deem or determine; and such further or other relief as the Court deems just and costs.
A date for a hearing is yet to be set.
Jagdeo, in response to numerous questions from the media, said that he is “responding to it, my lawyers are responding to it but the people at SARA … the head is not appointed properly.” He insisted that the SARA Act is unconstitutional before he stressed, “We’ll deal with it in the courts…it’s a routine matter for me.”
“It’s another political issue,” he said before reminding that last year the agency had said that it would be filing some “big cases” worth over US$10 million each but instead it has filed only with respect to `Pradoville 2.’
“We’ve not seen a single case. SOCU has not charged a single drug dealer. They have not launched a single case against any money launderer…. They (SARA) have not recovered a single cent from anybody. Now Pradoville is the only case after we have spent close to six or seven hundred million dollars on hiring the geriatric cabal that we have at SARA,” he said before stressing that those in the hierarchy are all political appointees who do not possess technical knowledge.
“So after several years of its existence and all of these big cases and big recoveries they are going after… it all come back to Pradoville… If I wasn’t living there, none of the other people [who live there] would have had any trouble,” he said. “I didn’t even look at it [the papers] to be frank. I heard it came and I told the guys, ‘Send it over to the lawyer.’ It’s a political issue. I am not even wasting my time behind that. That is an issue for a few papers and the government. I’m not wasting my time. It is a political matter… I am not wasting my time. We have a constitution to uphold, a government to get rid of, that is undemocratic. You think I am wasting my time behind any silly adventure from four geriatric people… over there,” Jagdeo added.