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Hulse Says GOB Should Not Pay
posted (October 14, 2016)

So did Minister of Natural Resources Godwin Hulse know about these particular deal? He ran the Ministry of Natural Resources between November 2015 and August, 2016.  Today he told us he didn’t know about this one, but he did know of others:…

Jules Vasquez
"Is this something you were aware of during your tenure in the ministry of natural resources?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"No No Jules, I wasn't aware at all it hadn't come to my attention. I heard it just like you but lots of similar cases, had come to my attention from other circles which we have been pursuing; and I had said that one of the things we would do and we would not continue to just simply compensate on these cases, we would have to then, review them and see who the guilty party was in terms of allowing it in the first place. I mean government's compensation is huge in these matters and we cannot continue to pay that kinda thing, it is, it is, it amounts to a serious situation when private land is stepped on - that should never have happened - and then flipped, and then flipped again, and then the court had ruled as I understand it, that innocent third party - not so innocent - must be compensated. Noh man, you can't countenance that."

Jules Vasquez
"Is this a form of fleecing public funds, this sort of acquisition, this transacting of land that should be transacted in the first place and then compensation, is it a backdoor way of fleecing public funds?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"I have to say yes, I have to say yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Is this something you would call a widespread practice, used by perhaps by political insiders or those who can work the system?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
 "I can't say it's widespread, but clearly those who work the system use it indeed, that yes; but I can't say it's widespread."

Jules Vasquez
"With the names and the prominent position held at the time by Minister Vega, being that it appears that most of this money has been paid out. Would you say that a refund should be considered when looking at the apparently gross violation of public trust?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Well, I would say once...it has to be looked at carefully to make sure that everything being said is accurate. That we have to make sure, always remember that, it is accurate.  But at the end of the day, if it is established that there were officers in that ministry that clearly knew that this was private land and facilitated a step on it all the way down the line, I don’t see why the government has to pay any compensation for that kinda thing. That may have to go back to court. I don't want to pronounce on it but for me government money should never be paid out for that kinda thing."

Here’s what caused these big pay-outs. Normally, the Lands Department is only supposed to sell a piece of land once. Once that transaction is done, only one title is issued. If that same piece of land is sold again, the Ministry of Natural Resources is obliged to compensate the person who got the second title. 

So, what the wheelers and dealers at the Lands Department do is they knowingly ignore the advice of the lands surveyors who indicate clearly that a piece of land is owned and not eligible for sale. Once the second sale of land happens, it then triggers compensation, where the Lands Department is forced to pay that person – at market value, for a parcel they bought at a discounted state price. This creates hundred-fold profits – at the expense of taxpayers.

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