CJ orders government to pay Chawlas for Krooman land

The well known case of the Krooman Lagoon concluded last Wednesday. Belize City businessman Jitendra Chawla, proprietor of Xtra House, took action against the Attorney General and the Minister of Natural Resources for revoking the sale of nine point three acres of land within Krooman Lagoon near mile two on the Western Highway.  Chawla, or Jack Charles as he is known, and his wife Leena had begun filling a section of the lagoon with clay and river stone where he had planned to set up a potato chip and peanut butter factory when they were issued a stop order. The sale of the land was vigorously opposed because Krooman Lagoon has been designated as a reserve since it is a catchment basin for rainwater.  Last Wednesday, the CJ said that the Chawlas could not keep the land because of its reserve status. He, however, ordered compensation. In his written ruling of thirty pages just released, the CJ states that the Minister of Natural Resources did not have the authority to approve the sale of the land because it was under reserve. As to the argument advanced by GOB, that it had been done in error, the CJ said he found that to be incredulous since the process to reserve was under the control of the Minister and the Ministry. In his ruling, the CJ makes the point that (quote) “either someone blithely or deliberately shut his or her eye to the fact that the parcels sold to the claimants were part of the Krooman Reserve”. (unquote)   According to the CJ, the Chawlas should get back at least seventy thousand dollars that they paid the government for the land. He also ordered that they be paid the cost of developments and that compensation be paid at a rate of six per cent per annum. In respect of damages, he awarded a further sum of twenty five thousand dollars. While the court did not settle the amount of compensation, it is expected that that sum will run in the millions of dollars which the government will have to pay.  The Chawlas were represented in court by Senior Counsel Fred Lumor while GOB was represented by attorneys Magali Perdomo and Priscilla Banner.