HGP Nightly News – VPAC has issued a statement expressing concern over the ongoing dispute surrounding 134.7 acres of land at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, and the recent eviction efforts targeting more than forty families who claim to have occupied the property for generations. According to VPAC, the families allege that their long-standing occupation, including farming and the construction of homes, gives rise to possessory rights under Guyanese law. These rights, they argue, must be properly considered by the courts before any eviction is carried out.
The statement highlights questions over the ownership claims of Ms. Elaine Adams, who was granted a Certificate of Title in 2018, and Mr. Leon Rutherford, who reportedly purchased approximately 70 acres of the land from Adams in 2022 for $35 million. VPAC notes that the surveyor who prepared the property description for the disputed acreage was the same individual who later acquired a portion of the land, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Residents claim that prior to the granting of the title, they were encouraged to sign documents described as waivers or procedural forms, with assurances that their plots would be secured. Some allege they paid sums, reportedly around $1.3 million, to facilitate surveying works they believed would formalize their claims. VPAC asserts that these expectations have not materialized, and instead, families now face eviction.
VPAC claims that the apparent absence of formal opposition from residents during the title process may not reflect informed consent, but rather a breakdown in understanding or misalignment between what residents believed they were agreeing to and the legal consequences. The organisation warns that the very steps taken by families, signing documents and contributing funds, may have inadvertently paved the way for their displacement.
