HGP Nightly News – A fresh twist has emerged in the legal battle over the former City Constabulary Training Complex on Water Street, with Town Clerk Candace Nelson publicly distancing herself from the case and saying she neither authorised nor signed any documents connected to the proceedings.
In a statement issued on her Facebook page, Nelson said her name had been wrongly linked to the lawsuit filed by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council against Attorney General Anil Nandlall. The court action concerns the disputed occupation of the former City Constabulary compound, but Nelson made it clear that she was not the person behind the filing.
“Please be informed that I am not part of those legal proceedings. I did not authorise the filings of those proceedings and I did not sign any legal documents in relation to those proceedings,” Nelson stated, as she sought to correct what she described as a false public impression about her role.
Under municipal law, legal proceedings by the council are generally brought in the name of the Town Clerk, and Nelson indicated that this may have contributed to the confusion. But in explaining her position, she said that if the Town Clerk does not sign, the council can designate another representative. According to her, that may be why the public assumed she was the one personally taking the matter to court.
Nelson disclosed that the issue was first brought to her on April 2, when she was asked by two councillors to sign legal documents initiating the proceedings. She said that after reviewing the papers, she declined to sign immediately and told them she first wanted legal advice. According to Nelson, the documents were then taken away and never returned.
She said she had no further discussion on the matter and only later realised the case had actually been filed when she saw media reports naming her in connection with the lawsuit. Nelson stressed that her public clarification should not be read as support for or opposition to the legal action itself, but simply as an effort to set the record straight about her involvement.
The Georgetown Mayor and City Council has moved ahead with High Court proceedings against the Attorney General and businessman Roshan Khan over the disputed occupation of the Water Street property. In its claim, City Hall argues that the municipally owned compound was unlawfully occupied by police and private security, and that city officials were prevented from accessing the site. The council is seeking declarations that the occupation amounts to trespass, the removal of those currently on the property, an injunction against further activity there, and damages in excess of US$5 million.
The lawsuit also maintains that the municipality never sold or otherwise transferred ownership of the property, and that no permission was granted for locks, security personnel or government signage to be placed there.
But the Attorney General has sharply rejected City Hall’s position, insisting that the disputed property belongs to the State and not the municipality. Nandlall has said the building was abandoned for more than 20 years and had fallen into a state of serious deterioration. According to him, the Government is now moving to take control of the property and put it to productive use in the public interest, though he has not yet said exactly what that future use will be.
