Kenyon Flowers says he was swindled in land deal
A Belize City businessman is up in arms because he has allegedly been scammed out of over four thousand dollars. Kenyon Flowers came to our studios on Thursday to explain the situation that has been plaguing him since March of this year. Flowers says he went to the Lands Department to apply to purchase a parcel of land at mile eight on the Western Highway and met a high school friend who now works there. According to Flowers she offered to sell him two plots of land and he handed over his money without getting a receipt because he trusted his long time friend. But months later, Flowers now realizes that instead of land, all he was sold were dreams.
Kenyon Flowers, Businessman
“She explained to me that her mother had a property right next to mine and she asked me if I interested fi purchase it. I said yes and I ask how much. She said four thousand dollars and I seh I wah give yoh three; I wah give yoh half and when yoh done di transaction I wah give yoh di next half. She seh no problem. Ih explain to me that di land deh inna her mother name but she have all rights fi do all transactions on behalf of her mother. I tell her fine and I gave her five hundred dollars and the other week I gave her five—three installments of five hundred dollars total to fifteen with a balance of fifteen hundred for that property dah eight miles. Dat all said and done I di wait, two weeks passed, three and nothing. Dah just fi transfer; a simple transfer noh tek dat long but anyways I give ah wah month, two months nothing.”
“I gone deh gone check pan ah and ih offer to me again. Ih seh ih got fifteen acres dah Northern Lagoon if I interested. I tell ah yes and ask well what procedure I need fi do. Ih seh just full out this form and she wah push through everything from deh. I ask how much ih wah cost. Ih seh five thousand dollars. I gave her two-five and balance two-five up to now up to todeh—from March 2009 up to present I have received nothing, not even a penny back and no kinda paper fi seh wah lee work di get done and so and I no think that right. Ih noh di accept mi calls, I go look fi ah dah work; she busy, I send ah wah text; nothing. She really noh have no kinda intentions fi give me back nothing and she even seh she noh have no business transactions with me, she noh do nothing with me simply because I noh get no receipt. But I believe a verbal contract is as good as something on paper so let us see weh wah happen after this because I even gone dah court and put out wah civil matter. So I have wah civil matter coming and we wah si weh wi go from deh.”
Flowers says that when he went to the police station to make a report, he was detained for questioning because the Lands Department employee accused him of setting her vehicle on fire. He says, however, that he was out of the country when that incident occurred. We could not reach the Lands employee for comment, but Belize City police say they are investigating the matter to determine if any criminal charges will be laid.
