Last week the Court of Appeal concluded hearing arguments in an application filed by People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, in which he is seeking to have 19 land fraud charges quashed.
The panel of three appellate judges have reserved their judgment in the matter and have since indicated that notices of when the ruling is ready will be sent to the parties.
Ali has now taken his fight to the Court of Appeal as the High Court has dismissed a similar application filed by him.
Among other things, Ali is requesting an order from the Court of Appeal quashing the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to charge him with the offence of ‘conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law’, on the basis that it was irrational, biased, and influenced by improper considerations and motives.
In November 2018, Ali was slapped with 19 charges which alleged that during his tenure as Minister of Housing under the PPP government, he sold large plots of State lands to high ranking government officials, way below the market value.
Ali is accused of selling State lands to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon; former ministers Priya Manickchand, Dr. Jennifer Westford, Robert Persaud and Clement Rohee; Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack; and former army Head, Gary Best.
He also allegedly sold the lands to former General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board, who is the daughter of former President Donald Ramotar, Lisaveta Ramotar.
Further, it is alleged that he also sold lands to
President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo; son of former Labour Minister Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Dr. Ghansham Singh; former Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Chief Executive Officer, Rajendra Singh; former President of the Caribbean Development Bank Guyana, Compton Bourne.
He is also accused of selling lands to Andrew Bishop; former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Safraaz Khan; and George Halla.
The particulars of the charges against Ali state that between 2011 and 2015, he conspired with persons unknown to defraud the Government by acting recklessly when he sold 19 plots of lands at Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting on the East Coast of Demerara.
Ali was not required to plead to the charges and is out on self bail. The Presidential candidate was hauled before the courts after the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the Guyana Police Force, completed its investigations.
A forensic audit revealed that the recipients grossly underpaid for the lots by a total of nearly $250M. It was stated that of the 28 lots totalling 12.1187 acres, only 3.9693 acres remain unallocated.
