LAND fraud seems to be rampant in this country and it’s alleged that public officials, private citizens and attorneys are involved.
Unsuspecting citizens are the victims of an alarming number of fraud claims that involve conveyance of lands to people who can allegedly pay public officials to get the conveyances done in a short space of time.
Recently Justice Frank Seepersad highlighted this problem of land fraud to alert unsuspecting victims.
Ex-minister of agriculture Clearance Rambharat has sent files to the TTPS alleging that high public officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries are working with people in state lands to help relatives get several lots of State lands estimated at close to $ 5 million.
Although Mr Rambharat said he had written to the commissioner of police and the prime minister about this issue, not much action was taken or he felt that it was possibly being suppressed.
It was alleged that five surveyors from the state did approximately 1,900 private surveys and what happened after that is anyone’s guess. He stated that for 1,900 surveys it’s estimated the fees for them were in the range of about $20 million.
He further alleged that the performance of private surveys by public surveyors that work for the state is unethical and gives an unfair advantage to these surveyors.
This possible fraud and corruption run rampant through the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries and he felt he was the only one trying to speak up against these issues.
For his trouble, nothing was being done by the authorities or even his prime minister and the next thing we the public heard was that he resigned from his post as minister of agriculture for personal issues.
What is the real story? I wonder and I hope we get the information as already the PNM Government led by Dr Keith Rowley may be closing ranks to prevent further fallout from this and any other allegations of corruption and fraud. As recently as over this weekend, we heard from reports in the media that the prime minister stated that former agriculture minister Clarence Rambharat may be coming back into his government. Rowley stated that a position in an entity to be called the Single Point Land Management Authority, to deal with problems related to the use of state lands, state land management and the elimination of corruption is going to be the post that Rambharat gets and further deal with this aspect of Government operations.
It seems too convenient to be true and tailor-made to shut Rambharat up and placate him so that he doesn’t bring any further allegations of land grabbing and fraud under the PNM Government.
This is just so convenient as the PM stated that the land management will be brought under the purview of the prime minister. He recently appointed a minister with responsibility solely for land – Nigel De Freitas. The prime minister said: “And now I am going to supervise that from the Office of the Prime Minister. I intend to supervise the creation of the Single Point Authority from the Office of the Prime Minister.”
The authorities all of a sudden seem to be moving to show that they are doing something about these allegations. In the last two weeks, there have been arrests in an effort to address corruption and the possible land grabbing of state lands. On March 25, a patrolman was charged with forgery and having in his possession a forged document, an actual Commissioner of State Lands authorisation letter, in his name. Police allegedly seized several allegedly fraudulent documents and got a stamp and seal as well. Last week, another Ministry of Agriculture employee was also charged with misbehaviour in public office, having forged documents for permission to build a tilapia fishing pond on state lands in Wallerfield.
All too convenient and blatant at this time, after a major reshuffle and after the fallout and allegations surrounding the land grabbing, the PM suddenly realised that his administration can’t take the publicity anymore so he may be closing ranks and ensuring Rambharat is back in the fold.
All this as local elections are around the corner and there is a need to be doing something to deal with all these allegations of fraud and corruption.
Let’s hope the same old tricks don’t work, the same cover-ups don’t work and when we vote, we make the right choice together this time.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, the North East Regional Coordinator of the United National Congress and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration. The comments and opinions expressed by him in this column are not necessarily those of AZPNews.com, a division of Complete Image Limited.
Commentary: Land Fraud Seems Rampant
LAND fraud seems to be rampant in this country and it’s alleged that public officials, private citizens and attorneys are involved.
Unsuspecting citizens are the victims of an alarming number of fraud claims that involve conveyance of lands to people who can allegedly pay public officials to get the conveyances done in a short space of time.
Recently Justice Frank Seepersad highlighted this problem of land fraud to alert unsuspecting victims.
Ex-minister of agriculture Clearance Rambharat has sent files to the TTPS alleging that high public officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries are working with people in state lands to help relatives get several lots of State lands estimated at close to $ 5 million.
Although Mr Rambharat said he had written to the commissioner of police and the prime minister about this issue, not much action was taken or he felt that it was possibly being suppressed.
It was alleged that five surveyors from the state did approximately 1,900 private surveys and what happened after that is anyone’s guess. He stated that for 1,900 surveys it’s estimated the fees for them were in the range of about $20 million.
He further alleged that the performance of private surveys by public surveyors that work for the state is unethical and gives an unfair advantage to these surveyors.
This possible fraud and corruption run rampant through the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries and he felt he was the only one trying to speak up against these issues.
For his trouble, nothing was being done by the authorities or even his prime minister and the next thing we the public heard was that he resigned from his post as minister of agriculture for personal issues.
What is the real story? I wonder and I hope we get the information as already the PNM Government led by Dr Keith Rowley may be closing ranks to prevent further fallout from this and any other allegations of corruption and fraud. As recently as over this weekend, we heard from reports in the media that the prime minister stated that former agriculture minister Clarence Rambharat may be coming back into his government. Rowley stated that a position in an entity to be called the Single Point Land Management Authority, to deal with problems related to the use of state lands, state land management and the elimination of corruption is going to be the post that Rambharat gets and further deal with this aspect of Government operations.
It seems too convenient to be true and tailor-made to shut Rambharat up and placate him so that he doesn’t bring any further allegations of land grabbing and fraud under the PNM Government.
This is just so convenient as the PM stated that the land management will be brought under the purview of the prime minister. He recently appointed a minister with responsibility solely for land – Nigel De Freitas. The prime minister said: “And now I am going to supervise that from the Office of the Prime Minister. I intend to supervise the creation of the Single Point Authority from the Office of the Prime Minister.”
The authorities all of a sudden seem to be moving to show that they are doing something about these allegations. In the last two weeks, there have been arrests in an effort to address corruption and the possible land grabbing of state lands. On March 25, a patrolman was charged with forgery and having in his possession a forged document, an actual Commissioner of State Lands authorisation letter, in his name. Police allegedly seized several allegedly fraudulent documents and got a stamp and seal as well. Last week, another Ministry of Agriculture employee was also charged with misbehaviour in public office, having forged documents for permission to build a tilapia fishing pond on state lands in Wallerfield.
All too convenient and blatant at this time, after a major reshuffle and after the fallout and allegations surrounding the land grabbing, the PM suddenly realised that his administration can’t take the publicity anymore so he may be closing ranks and ensuring Rambharat is back in the fold.
All this as local elections are around the corner and there is a need to be doing something to deal with all these allegations of fraud and corruption.
Let’s hope the same old tricks don’t work, the same cover-ups don’t work and when we vote, we make the right choice together this time.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, the North East Regional Coordinator of the United National Congress and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration. The comments and opinions expressed by him in this column are not necessarily those of AZPNews.com, a division of Complete Image Limited.