MoBay mayor promises full transparency on Bogue lands

WESTERN BUREAU:

Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis is promising full transparency as he continues his bid to complete the proposed sale of the controversial five-hectare Bogue Industrial Estate property, which has been a source of much political wrangling over several years.

The property, which was valued at $700 million over five years ago, was illegally taken over by business operators who now occupy 26 lots at the location.

A serious injustice

However, a recent report from the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) (now subsumed into the Integrity Commission) stated that a special investigation revealed that the previous People's National Party (PNP) administration of the St James Municipal Corporation was in breach of the Government's land divestment policy when it tried to sell off the lots to the squatters based on a 2009 valuation in 2015.

"I think this is going to go on for a very long time because I think a serious injustice was done to the people of St James," said Davis, while addressing the recent meeting of the corporation.

"The OCG reported on the Bogue lands and it came about because of an issue that we stood up for in this council when we were the minority, where the then administration had agreed to sell the Bogue lands at a 2009 valuation. We were very adamant that that could not happen," added Davis.

The mayor vowed that under his stewardship, the current administration of the corporation would abide by the Government's land divestment policy whereby the current valuation would be used at all times.