Former Finance Minister questioned about Ogle land sale

Last Updated on Thursday, 28 April 2022, 18:40 by Denis Chabrol

Mr. Winston Jordan delivering the 2019 National Budget.

Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan was Thursday detained for questioning in connection with the sale of land at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

Attorney-at-Law, Roysdale Forde says his client was released on self-bail and asked to return to police on May 3,

Mr. Forde says the former Finance Minister was contacted by police and asked to report to the police Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

The lawyer says investigators wanted to know what role Mr. Jordan played in the sale of land at Ogle to a company named Premier by the holding company for State assets, the  National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). “The police wanted to know the role that he played in the transaction and he informed them that he played a role limited to taking a memo to Cabinet and communicating Cabinet’s position on the memo back to the NICIL people,” he told Demerara Waves Online News. 

Mr. Forde said the allegation was baseless and yet another act aimed at targeting Mr Jordan who is also a former Budget Ditector of the Ministry of Finance.

“The investigation is without any merit in terms of seeking to involve Mr Jordan in any act of harassment by the government,” the lawyer added.

Since the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change lost the Match 2, 2020 elections, Mr Jordan has been implicated in probes for the disposal of State assets.