Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo Thursday said he received court papers served on behalf of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA), but would not say what the court documents were about.
“I didn’t even look at it; I heard it came and I told the guys [to] send it over to the Lawyers…it’s a political matter, I don’t waste my time,” he told reporters Thursday at his Church Street, Georgetown office.
He added: “I have received it, I am responding to it, my lawyers are responding to it.”
In a court matter involving his former Housing Minister, it was disclosed that Jagdeo’s ocean-front property sits on two plots of land which were sold to him at $2.3M and $7.5M when in fact they were valued at $10.6M and $34.7M.
Jagdeo had earlier made it clear that were he to be asked to pay the difference, he would not.
When pressed by a reporter to give reasons for his refusal, he declared: “Because I rejected.” He immediately quipped that the question was “stupid.”
“It is a stupid question…It is a political thing. I get impatient with silly questions.”
The reporter, Nazima Raghubir, pointed out that she was only requesting clarification and retorted: “I get impatient with silly statements.”
“Why would I waste my time behind an adventure which is a political matter…” Jagdeo said, after which he was further pressed for the value of his property which he refused to state.
Jagdeo buffered allegations by describing SARA as a political entity. The persons employed by SARA “are all political appointees,” he said.
“It’s another political issue,” he emphasized, adding that Pradoville 2 is the only case they have done after spending millions of dollars.
On November 28, 2018, Former Minister of Housing Minister and current Presidential Candidate of the PPP, Irfaan Ali was charged with 19 counts of fraud for selling lands at Pradoville 2 below market value.
