Last week we told you about the ugly situation that had flared up at the Lands Department, culminating in the CEO of the Ministry of Housing being shown out of the building by armed security.
It got to that point because of a few dozen abandoned properties at the Fresh Pond Housing Community near Burrell Boom. They were supposedly set aside to be distributed among party faithful who were both low income and did not yet own a house or land.
But, even though the structures are wrecks, it's good high land, and it seems, some UDP connected folks, had their eyes on the 50 or so lots, and arranged to get possession of ten of the properties using the names of relatives.
One of those is the Deputy PM's driver Chris Hendricks, whose brother Marlon Miranda got one of the properties. That happened to be a property that the Prime Minister's sister, Denise "Sister B "Barrow had been looking at for one of her Queen's Square constituents. That dispute reached the PM's ears and brought the whole thing to a head.
So where does this leave the Deputy PM? After all, his driver crossed the PM's sister, who is his political officer in Queen's Square. We caught him at an event today and while he initially did not to give an interview on that subject, in the end, he downplayed the dispute.
Hon. Gaspar Vega - Deputy Prime Minister
"I don't have much to say about that indeed, I really don't have and I don't know what the big issue is. As far as I'm concerned I have done nothing wrong - I don't think anyone in the ministry has done anything wrong. I don't think Mr. Sylvestre has done anything wrong so I don't have much to say."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, but we understand that the project was meant to provide first time ownership to poor residents but some UDP higher-ups were getting opportunities and riding along on this initiative. Are you able to tell us anything you have on that?"
Hon. Gaspar Vega
"No, like I said I don't have much to say and I would like to keep it that way."
Reporter
"Has the situation been resolved?"
Hon. Gaspar Vega
"Yes, I think so - I don't get into those petty stuff."
We spoke to the Deputy PM at the opening of the regional Sanitary landfill, and we'll have that story later on.
