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GOB “Tek” Tzec Land
posted (May 22, 2015)
Agronomist Angel Tzec was in the Supreme Court today, trying to get back land that he says Government swiped from him. The lease for Tzec's 250 acres in the Cayo District expired in 2011. Before that happened, he tried to renew it, but he claims that the Lands Department and the Minister gave him the run around, allegedly with the promise that it would be taken care of. But, it wasn't and then, the 2012 General Elections happened, and that's when the Lands Department began sharing up the land to new leaseholders, without Tzec's knowledge.

When he found out, he tried his very best to get the Lands Department to reverse what he thought was a mistake. But that didn't work, so now he's suing the Government for it.

That case got its day in court today, and after almost 3 hours of arguments, it came to a close. We spoke with his attorney, Said Musa, outside of court about the reliefs that Tzec is trying to get so that he can get back the rights to the land:

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Attorney for Tzec
"Before it expired, he applied. Under the lease, there is clause there for him to renew. He applied for that and they put him through all kinds of changes. He had to first of all bring all his rents up to date. He had to get the approval of the then area representative and he did and he had to get the lands properly surveyed at his own expense. He went through all that only to be told at the very end to discover even while the survey was going on that the government was giving out leases of the same land to other people. 4 parcels of close to 100 acres given out, even though they had lead him to believe that his lease would have been at least renewed."

Angel Tzec, suing government
"Unfortunately for the by-elections of 2012, they had to find ways and means of coursing people to vote. So what they did is they just arbitrary went into all over the place and cut up people land and just give it away. The surveyor, who went into my place, went without permission and without doing his due diligence. Because although my land was not surveyed, there was a map in the system and it showed that there was somebody there with 250 acres. They didn't regard that. They were so in a hurry to divide, that they didn't even consult anybody."

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Attorney for Tzec
"What is important here is that these ministers, particularly the Minister of Natural Resources/Minister of Lands - he can't act on his whim and fancy as to who get land or who doesn't get land. That's not the basis of his duty under the law. His duty is to provide national land to those deserving people. People might need it to housing, for instance or to farmers who are genuine farmers and so on. In this case it's for ecological reasons."

Angel Tzec, suing government
"My rent is paid. It's true the lease expired, but it expired because the process of getting any transaction done in the department of lands is so slow and actually there are so many bottlenecks, that it's almost impossible unless you give incentives."

Justice Shona Griffith has reserved judgment, to be delivered in late June.

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