UDP loses on appeal; land reverts to Govt.

His party won a political victory on Wednesday in Benque Viejo, but today in the legal arena Dean Barrow and the UDP took it squarely on the chin. In a decision announced this evening, the Court of Appeal overturned last year’s Supreme Court verdict, which had upheld the UDP’s title to a valuable strip of land at the foot of the Bel-China Bridge. With the land and buildings–including the UDP headquarters–now back in government hands, Barrow pondered his next move.

Dean Barrow, Attorney for the UDP

“The court took the rather unusual step of indicating the decision without being in a position to give the reasons. They were asked to do this by the Solicitor General, and they said that in view of the stakes involved they thought they should do it. We don’t therefore know on what basis the appeal was upheld, but we do know what the decision is, and the decision is to set aside the title of the United Democratic Party to the land and the judgement of the Chief Justice upholding that title. We of course, will move heaven and earth to find the resources to appeal this decision now to the Privy Council.”

Stewart Krohn

“But as it stands now, legally that land is now back in the hands of the government. Can they do what they want with it or is there some kind of restraint pending any appeal to the Privy Council?”

Dean Barrow

“Well there will be a constraint if in fact we are able to succeed in getting a stay of the decision, while the appeal to the Privy Council is being processed. And we will attempt to do that some time next week.”

The court’s written opinion will not be issued until June or July and it is not until then that Barrow can even begin to lodge his appeal to the Privy Council. Meanwhile, the three duplexes built by the PUP government remain vacant. The land in question was given free of charge to the UDP by then Minister of Natural Resources, Dito Juan.