Carenage man seeks British PM’s help

On August 13, 2004, Magistrate Maureen Abdool-Gafoor, presiding in the Port-of-Spain Third Magistrates’ Court, dismissed a charge of illegal occupation of land which was laid against Noel by the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA).

Noel said he inherited the land from his grandfather Leonce Noel, who bought the land in 1920, from the then colonial government. Noel said his family was removed from the land in 1941, to make way for the United States army base, but was not compensated for the five acres.

Noel had already started cultivating the land when the CDA brought the charge against him. However, he said since he won the court case, he has not been able to return to the land and was even ordered off the property.

In March, his attorney Henley Wooding, filed a motion against the Attorney General and CDA concerning the matter, but none of the parties responded although the motion called for a response within 14 days.

“The AG and CDA are not obeying the rule of law,” Noel noted.

He said he took the matter to London, since it was the British Government that granted the land to the US Army in 1941. Noel has in his possession a document dated June 1958, in which the Chief Minister told the Legislative Council that no lease for the area has been “signed, registered or executed”.

The Chief Minister was Dr Eric Williams — this country’s first Prime Minister.

“I have written to British Prime Minister Tony Blair asking for a public inquiry into the matter. I also want him to find out why I had no response from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the past four years.”

Noel said he sent his matter to several British MPs and also reported it to several media houses in England including London’s Times newspaper.

Noel recently placed ads in the local newspapers claiming 50 acres of land at Scotland Bay are to be leased.

Most of these lands, he said, belong to other families who hold legal deeds but like himself, are barred from entering their properties.

“I have written the CDA informing them that we would be coming to survey the property,” he said.