A woman, who was illegally occupying two properties belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture in Caroni, was recently found trying to renovate them.
The woman had purchased material and hired labourers to refurbish the properties.
When confronted by ministry officials, she produced fraudulent documents showing she had purchased the properties from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
The properties were identified as #38 and #39 along the Caroni North Bank Road. The woman provided documents showing she had paid a total of $70,000 as a deposit for the two buildings. She had also been paying $3,500 since June with the commitment to make payments until 2033. All of the documents were on HDC-branded documents.
Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat confirmed the situation yesterday. He said during a recent spot check on the ministry’s residential properties in Centeno, he noticed some unusual activity at some of the unoccupied houses. Rambharat said upon investigation they uncovered fraudsters at work.
The matter has since been reported to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service ( TTPS).
Everything about the situation seemed fake, he said, including the name of the lawyer used to prepare the documents for the transaction. Documents purporting to be from the Registrar General department were also fake.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries is not selling any of its property, Rambharat said.
"Anyone in a residential property under the control of Ministry Agriculture, Land and Fisheries without lawful authority to be there will be removed," Rambharat said.
Last month when the HDC went to do remedial work in Greenvale Park, La Horquetta, following flooding, they found illegal occupants with fake HDC documents. That issue is also being investigated by the TTPS.