Jagdeo so far shelters former CH&PA boss from probe into transactions

Last Updated on Friday, 7 February 2025, 22:51 by Writer

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said so far no investigation would be conducted into then Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves because he was at this time convinced by the former official that he did not engage in corruption.

“He has assured us and so far, from what he has said to us, I consider it credible that he has legitimately acquired and so we’ll have to examine that but right now, we are not going to witch-hunt people on the basis of conjecture,” he told a news conference at his ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) headquarters.

Mr Jagdeo said Mr Greaves was asked to respond to the allegations and he “assured us” that all the sources of his funding are legitimate and every transaction was legal. The Vice President praised Mr Greaves for helping “thousands of people” while working diligently at CH&PA. He flayed opposition critics for hounding down Mr Greaves who was part of government’s programme to provide 50,000 house lots. “They don’t want to see him. Although he is a Black guy, they will run him down because they perceive him close to the PPP too,” he added.

He earlier in the news conference said that Mr Greaves would have to give “credible answers” for properties he had acquired and if he and Edul Ahmad broke the law, “they must face consequences”.

But Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes objected to Mr Jagdeo’s assertion that the criticisms were racially motivated. “Mr Jagdeo, clearly by that response, has indicated who he intends to protect. This has nothing to do with race. This has to do with what the facts state,” he told Demerara Waves Online News. Mr Hughes said he was unconcerned about Mr Jagdeo’s consistent description of himself and relatives.

The AFC Leader said he was concerned that one Mr Sherwyn Greaves received property in New York from the son of a principal for one of the companies that was assigned State land by the CH&PA. Asked if they were not entitled to engage in a private transaction and what was illegal or corrupt about it, Mr Hughes said they raised “red flags”. “It is most unusual and certainly brings into question whatever process they went through,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.

Mr Greaves resigned earlier this week, saying it was not an admission of guilt but because social media posts had caused significant distress to “my family and impacted our mental well-being.” He did not say whether he was the same Sherwyn Greaves who acquired property in New York for US$900,000.

Meanwhile, the AFC Leader Thursday night released an agreement of sale between himself and Simon Munroe dated 28th January 2016 for the acquisition of 50 acres of land on the western bank of the Essequibo River for GY$2 million. Mr Hughes also posted a letter dated 4th March 2024 to the Commissioner 0f the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Enrique Monize telling him that he did not respond to two previous letters on January 13 2022 and 19th September 2023 concerning final leases that were not issued.

Mr Hughes released his documents to rubbish Mr Jagdeo’s claim that the AFC Leader had been awarded 75 acres of land after the no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC led administration in December 2018 and a ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice that the then administration was in caretaker mode and before the results of the March 2, 2020, election results were declared.