Judge stops development of Tacarigua property

A SANGRE Grande businesswoman accused of relying on a fraudulent deed has been stopped by the high court from developing a million-dollar piece of land in Tacarigua.

Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh yesterday granted an injunction against Vanessa Gordon preventing her from continuing work on the land at 115 Eastern Main Road, Tacarigua.

According to brothers Mark Cudjoe and Cromwell Bissessar, they are the true owners of the land. The two, through their lawyer Darryl Heeralal, filed the injunction which was granted by the judge.

The brothers claim they were forcefully removed from the land in 2015 by the businesswoman who said she had a deed.

In court documents, they said two houses, belonging to them, were bulldozed, including one which was rebuilt after a fire destroyed it.

They provided a title report on the land which alleged that the deed in the woman’s possession was fraudulent.

Cudjoe, in his affidavit, said he has been living on the property with his brother and now deceased father Archibald Cudjoe, and two other brothers, from as far back as 1957, when he was born.

Cudjoe, his father and Bissessar lived in the back house while his now deceased brothers Churchill Bissessar and George Cudjoe lived in a front house. He also said his father converted part of the back house into a rum shop, which became popular with the villagers.

He said sometime in 2000 a fire destroyed one of the houses, and later that year he and his brother started to rebuild it.

Some 15 years later, Cudjoe said police came and removed them from the property. The houses were also bulldozed.

Although they were forced out, they continued to maintain the lands by planting on it until three weeks ago when Gordon returned and demolished the wooden structure they built.

She also placed on the property a 20-feet steel container and began to level the ground on the property. The injunction now prevents her from continuing any work on the land until the matter is resolved in court.