AFC Leader calls for full disclosure on Ogle land purchases, refuses to comment on client’s land acquisition

Last Updated on Sunday, 2 February 2025, 20:16 by Writer

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes is calling on government to disclose the names of companies that bought lands at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, and the criteria, even as he refused to talk about the acquisition of land in that area by one of his clients.

“There are some very interesting names in there…They will be released over the next couple of days,” he told Demerara Waves Online News but declined to immediately name them while suggesting that non-traditional supporters of the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) were not treated fairly. He urged the government to also make “full disclosure” of the process by which the buyers were selected. He said he was aware of several local businessmen who have not received such an offer.

Mr Hughes is dissatisfied with the assurance by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) that all commercial land in that area was sold at GY$30 million per acre and buyers did not receive any special treatment. He said the price tag was “unusual”, even as he queried where in the environs of Georgetown could anyone acquire an acre of land for GY$30 million. He contrasted that with GY$6 million to GY$8 million for a remigrant schemes houselot which is about one-eight of an acre. “It would be a most unusual policy to have your highest commercial lands being sold at the same rate as lands in less attractive areas in the City or it’s environs,” he said.

Asked if one his clients, a well-known Trinidadian business magnate, acquired lands for GY$30 million per acre, Mr Hughes said, “as far as I know, he didn’t acquire lands from CH&PA”.

Mr Hughes said he did not know if the price was GY$30 million per acre and referred this publication to the Trinidadian businessman. The AFC Leader acknowledged that he is “one of his lawyers” and so could not disclose details about his client. “If I’m his lawyer, I can’t release information that would be confidential but all that’s public record, you can go check it.”

Asked where that leaves his observation about the cost of land at Ogle that was acquired by New Global Investment Corporation whose Director/Secretary is New York-based Guyanese, Edul Ahmad, Mr Hughes urged that checks be made to ascertain the cost and seller of the land to his client. “I’m unable to release a single sentence in relation to any of my client,” he said.

“I can’t comment in clients but I’m not trying to shield anyone. Let them release the names and the prices,” he said.

Mr Hughes said his concern was founded on the fact that the Ogle area would become “the premier commercial real estate in the country if it’s not already so the price tag of $30 million (per acre) for that area is completely way below market price.”

The AFC Leader further argued that the cost of the land has to be determined by market value. “You can’t be saying because that because a client got it at a rate means the rate is acceptable,” he said.

New Global Investment Corporation proposes to build “upscale” houses in that area. According to selected pages of the agreement that were released by Mr Hughes on his Facebook page last week, the company intends to develop roads and drainage infrastructure in the area.