Belize City resident Ovetta Gill finds herself tonight battling for a piece of land she intended to someday build her home on.
She has a piece of land, in the Saint Martin De Porres Area of Belize City. She's been paying lease fees to the Lands Department since 2011, and she showed us receipts to prove that is up-to-date with her commitments on the lease contract.
This weekend however, she found someone filling her land with clay. It appears that someone else now has a claim to the land, something that the Lands Department didn't communicate to her. She tells us that she stopped the men doing the work and went to clarify, and that's when she found out that apparently, the Department canceled the lease.
She came to our office to explain the distress she's under, and she claims that the Department is chancing her out of the land. Here's her account:
Ovetta Gill, Questioning Lease Cancellation
"I received a phone call on Saturday that my land is having stuff being thrown on it. When I got there my parents was already there and the men that were there said that they were hired by a Michael Cocom to do this job and an attorney was also there. He was being really ignorant with the situation and saying that he is the government and he can do whatever he likes and when he heard that I had my papers for my land, my mom went again and by the time she returned with the land papers he was nowhere to be found. Now, this morning I went to the Lands Department 
to query this issue. When I got there, they said that my land the lease was cancelled. When I ask for what reason, she said that the rent was overdue and none-development. I have my papers together that I paid my land tax on time. So I don't understand how could they just canceled my land with no reason at all. Because the receipts are here to show that I paid my tax on time. So I need answers to what happened."
Daniel Ortiz
"When you say tax, what do you mean exactly ma'am? Because land fees and tax could be two different things."
Ovetta Gill, Questioning Lease Cancellation
"Well here it says that this is for land account lease fee. So this is what I am being charged for. That's what I am paying for, to keep this lease and I'm trying here. I am young citizen. I'm trying. This government I don't know what is wrong with them at this time. I'm trying and they are just trying to sweep the rug from underneath my feet. I'm being taken advantage of and I have plans of going to Belmopan and speaking to Mr. Godwin Hulse, because I need to get answers to this situation. I feel as if though if I'm being a good citizen and paying my taxes, in order to keep my lease and I wasn't even aware of this. She said that I was supposed to get a letter. I didn't received any letter. I didn't received anything from the government saying that my title is being revoked. I didn't get anything."
We intend to follow up with the Lands Department tomorrow to hear why they canceled the lease, and why it they didn't inform her of this.
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