If Greaves did anything wrong, he will face the consequences – Jagdeo

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has made it clear that if any wrongdoing is uncovered involving former Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Chief Executive Officer Sherwin Greaves in relation to land issues, he will face the consequences.

Greaves recently resigned following the release of elements of a contract between the CH&PA and U.S.-based Guyanese businessman Ed Ahmad by Alliance For Change (AFC) presidential candidate Nigel Hughes. The contract raised questions about the sale of prime lands at Ogle and near ExxonMobil’s headquarters for $30 million per acre.

However, Greaves emphasised that his resignation is not an admission of guilt but rather a response to what he described as a vicious and unfair public vilification campaign against him.

Speaking at a press briefing at Freedom House on Thursday, Dr. Jagdeo said that while he finds Greaves credible, he must still face the consequences if any law has been broken.

“Sherwin Greaves will have to answer and provide credible explanations for the acquisition of any of his property. If he or Ed Ahmad broke the law, they must face the consequences. That’s our position,” Dr. Jagdeo stated.

He continued: “When this issue first arose, we asked Sherwin Greaves about it, and he assured us that his source of funding is legitimate and that all of his transactions were legal. He then offered to resign. This is someone who has worked at CH&PA, helping thousands of people as part of our programme to distribute 50,000 house lots. If he has done anything illegal, then he must be held accountable. So far, based on what he has told us, I find his explanations credible.”

The Vice President also stressed that while the matter will be examined, the government will not engage in a witch hunt based on conjecture or social media allegations. He defended Greaves as a hard-working and diligent professional.

“We are not on the back foot regarding this land issue. We have robust systems in place. I’m not saying that occasional cracks don’t appear or that corruption can’t sometimes creep in, but we have established strong agreements to safeguard the wealth of this country’s people,” Dr. Jagdeo asserted.

He added that the government would not allow the Opposition to vilify individuals simply because they are affiliated with or perceived to be aligned with his party.