
Attorney General Anil Nandlall has attempted to distance the Government from the questionable commercial land deals that have been reportedly going down at the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
The Authority falls directly under the Ministry of Housing and commercial land deals are generally approved by the President’s office.
During his “Issues in the News” programme on Tuesday, Mr. Nandlall said he is unaware of the land transactions by the Central Housing and Planning Authority involving prime lands near the ExxonMobil Headquarters at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara and along the Heroes Highway on the East Bank of Demerara.
He said the Government has a comprehensive process in place for the issuance of commercial lands.
Officials of the Central Housing and Planning Authority have been coming under the microscope for their alleged role in the sale of tens of acres of lands in prime areas to businessman close to the Government.
The CEO of the Central Housing and Planning Authority announced his resignation on Tuesday after information surfaced over his purchase of high-priced properties in New York from companies associated with businessmen who were able to secure prime lands in Guyana from the same department.
The Attorney General, while declaring that the Housing Authority has to follow a Government process for the sale of lands, said it is not the Government’s business to know how persons are able to afford and purchase high priced properties in the US.

“Now I don’t work with the Central Housing and Planning, I don’t monitor their day-to-day activities, so I am not in receipt of who gets lands or not following the government’s process. I don’t know whether this company get land, or what, transactions only come to me for legal advice when legal matters arises and I am not here to defend who buy property in New York, who get property in New York and how they pay for it, that is not my business and is not the government’s business either” Mr. Nandlall said.
Mr. Nandlall said the Government’s housing policy has set out how the CHPA must treat with the issuance of lands for commercial purposes. He assured the processes are being followed.
“That policy is there must be either and expression of interest inviting investings or inviting potential applicant to apply for these lands or there must be an approeach to the government with an investment proposal that would entail the investment of substantial capital on the particular land and that would depend upon the size of land that we allocate,” the Attorney General said.
The Attorney General noted further that applicants must show that they can afford to develop the project they requested the land for, as well as the potential benefits that the country could get from the proposed investment.
Once the criteria is met, the Cabinet decides on the issuance of the lands.
He has accused the APNU+AFC of selling state lands below the market value while it was in office.
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