Back in May 2022, Sherene Garbutt was granted permission to survey a 22.24 acre parcel of land in the Malacate area of Independence Village. She paid for the survey, which was conducted in August of 2022. Three years later, she has still not been able to acquire a lease to the property.
She made numerous trips to the Natural Resources Ministry to inquire about the status of her lease, only to later find out that it was sold this year to Charles Price, who she says is the brother of a top minister's driver.
She is now calling on the government to compensate her - not just with the $6,500 for the survey as they had initially offered her, but with another parcel of land in the same area.
She explained the situation to us:
Voice of: Sherene Garbutt, Claims She Was Cheated Out Of 22 Acres
"To my shock and dismay, I later discovered that the land had already been sold and titled to Mr. Charles Price on April 29, 2025. I also learned that Mr. Price is the brother of the Prime Minister's driver, which raises serious concerns about political favoritism and a potential conflict of interest. It is particularly troubling that the survey I personally paid for was used in the issuance of this title to Mr. Price. I have documented communication with Mr. Brackette, who at one point acknowledged that the file was still under ministerial review. However, as time went on, my inquiries were ignored."
"When my mother visited the Lands Department again, she was informed by a staff member that the land had been sold, although they refused to disclose the name of the recipient. Eventually, we were able to confirm that the land was titled to Mr. Charles Price. I subsequently visited the Lands Department in Belmopan, but Mr. Brackette was unavailable. I was instead assisted by Mr. Jhawn Grayham, to whom I explained the entire situation. Mr. Grayham indicated that he would look into the matter and consider compensation for the survey and travel expenses. However, after waiting for several weeks with no response, I had to follow up again, only to be sent a compensation agreement offering $6,500."
"I must stress that this offer is entirely unacceptable. I was granted official permission to survey this land, and based on this legal assurance, I invested both time and money. To now be informed that the land has been granted to someone else - despite my prior claim - is a clear violation of due process and undermines the principle of legitimate expectation. Additionally, I was told that any potential compensation in the form of land would likely be in the Coastal Road area. However, this is unsuitable, as I am a resident of Independence Village and require land in the Malacate area, not miles away."
"I am therefore requesting that the Government honor my legitimate expectation and either return the original 22.24 acres of land to me, or provide a comparable parcel of land within the Malacate area, not in an unrelated location."
She added that if she isn't compensated, she will be taking legal action.
When we reached out to the CEO in the ministry, Paul Thompson, he explained that being granted permission to survey a parcel of land doesn't guarantee that the land will be sold or leased to a person. However, the ministry has agreed to meet with her and she spoke to their legal counsel. Their counsel followed up on the $6,500 agreement in an email on September 17th, which Thompson said she never responded to.
However, they are still willing to assist her, but the location of the land will depend on the value of the compensation.
