Clansman gang fingered in illegal land sales in Bernard Lodge Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The Spanish Town-based Clansman gang has been fingered in the illegal sale of land in the Greater Bernard Lodge development area, and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have been tasked with conducting an investigation into the matter.

The disclosure was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday during a statement in the House of Representatives, where he offered more details on the reasons for last Thursday’s demolition of unfinished houses in the area that is in proximity to the community of Clifton.

After being both criticised and praised for the demolition exercise, Holness named the Clansman gang as being the outfit that has benefitted from the scam.

He admitted that some of the individuals affected were members of the security forces and civil servants. He said the probe by MOCA and the JCF should also determine whether any public official is culpable.

Member of Parliament for St Catherine Southern, Fitz Jackson in whose constituency the development falls, charged that the land owner, SCJ Holdings Limited was complicit in the matter as he had informed the entity from the time the first structures were constructed on the land that is reserved for agricultural purposes.

The prime minister dismissed claims that the persons affected by the demolition were not given due notice. He also told the House that the SCJ Holdings had two meetings with those individuals.

Responding to questions from Opposition Members of Parliament, Holness said: “I could not say whether or not that (the meetings) was with persons from Clifton or persons from the other side.

“What is important is that all of this has to be investigated, and I have asked MOCA and the JCF to investigate this thing entirely because I want to know if there is any government official culpable or complicit,” he said.

Continuing, Holness said: “I’m very reluctant in giving these kind of specific details, especially when they’re going to be investigated. It’s not our job to investigate it in Parliament. We debate the issue, but we don’t investigate it here. There are some issues that I really can’t go into too much detail about.”

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