Local businessman Lennox Cush is moving forward with plans to develop the controversial Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara land in Belgium, which was previously sold to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s company Rusal for $150 million. This sale had led to charges against Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and former National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) head Winston Brassington.
“I bought the property since 2019 and I just find it strange that Stabroek News would now seek to ask about it. Why? I know the history, yes. It was the Russian guy’s own and all of that, but I have had it for a long time,” Cush said. “No development has started as yet. Clearing of the land has begun, … And yes I know what I am putting there but I do not wish to share it [those plans] …,” he added.
In April 2018, it was reported that a decade after 4.7 acres of land at Liliendaal were sold to Rusal for a vacation home for Deripaska, the property remained neglected. The sale, directed by former president Bharrat Jagdeo, became the subject of a court case against Singh and Brassington under the APNU+AFC government. Both men were charged with three counts of misconduct in public office, accused of selling the land for $150 million while it was valued at $340 million by Rodrigues Architects Limited.
Singh, who was Finance Minister at the time, and Brassington, head of NICIL, were said to be carrying out the government’s mandate. Their lawyer argued that the decision to sell the land was political and authorized by NICIL, not the individuals. The charges were withdrawn in December 2020.
When visited in 2018, the land was overgrown and unused. Locals had used it for grazing cows, but this had ceased. Sources indicated that the land was intended for Deripaska’s vacation home, but he had not developed it despite paying for it. Typically, locals purchasing government land are pressured to begin development or face repossession, even if paid for in full.
During a recent visit, it was observed that clearing of the land had begun, with an entrance made but waterlogged due to heavy rainfall. Workers noted that machinery had been clearing the thick bushes.
Cush’s plans for the land remain undisclosed, but development activities have started. 
