Owner awaits word on restitution $80M claim submitted By Leonard Gildarie Stabroek News June 14, 2000 Four months after his multi-million dollar building at Eccles was destroyed during the siege to flush out wanted man Linden 'Blackie' London, the owner of Toucan Suites, Norman Trotz is still to receive restitution for his losses. Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, a frustrated Trotz said that he had been hoping to settle the matter "amicably" without having to resort to legal means. However, despite the passage of time, no one had seen it fit to contact him for any discussions on compensation for his property. Trotz said that after numerous telephone calls to Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj he was only able to meet him on Saturday at Freedom House, Robb Street. A claim for $80 million which included the cost of the apartment building, equipment and loss of income during the last four months of the incident, was submitted to the minister. However, Trotz said Gajraj told him the claim was too high. Despite several messages being left by Stabroek News, Gajraj could not be contacted yesterday for comment. Recounting the steps he had taken in his attempts to be compensated, Trotz said that two days after February 9, when the Eccles apartment was razed, he and his lawyer went to see Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis to discuss plans for the building and aspects of a statement made at a press conference by the commissioner about "the harbouring of criminals" at the guest house. However, he was told that the commissioner was out. After no one contacted him, Trotz said, he was forced to write to President Bharrat Jagdeo in April and received a reply that the matter had been referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The businessman claimed that for the last two weeks, he left numerous messages for Gajraj, to no avail. It was only on Saturday that he managed to make contact with him at Freedom House. "I am a citizen with a legitimate business. My business place was destroyed through no fault of mine and yet no one is telling me anything about compensation. What ese can I do? What this means is that anyone can come and destroy your property and not be held responsible," the businessman pointed out. Recalling the events leading up to the night of the siege on the building, Trotz said that he had left his poultry farm at Mocha shortly after 2000 hrs on February 8, and was in the vicinity of the entrance to Eccles, when he learnt that police were exchanging fire with a person or persons in his building. Later that night, the police requested the blueprint for the building and accompanied by officers he went to Mocha and retrieved same. At Eccles, later that night, he spoke with Deputy Commissioner of Police and 'A' Division Commander Henry Greene who asked if he had any problems with the building being set afire. Trotz referred the matter to his lawyer Andrew Pollard who was also at the scene. The businessman said that was the last time anyone in authority ever spoke to him with regard to the building. Trotz, who said that he now depended solely on his poultry farm, as a means of living, revealed that he was also concerned over the fate of the five employees who were working with him at the time of the incident. "They are all without a job with families to look after. I have to give them a little of what I make to see them through." Trotz said that he grew up in Eccles not far from the guest house and in 1989, he purchased the building, renovated it and opened it under the name N&R Apartment Rentals. This name was later changed to Toucan Suites. Questioned about how he arrived at $80 million, Trotz said that in addition to the building being in a prime location, at the time of the incident it was fitted with state-of-the-art equipment including air conditioners, washing machines, generators, television sets and other expensive equipment. Trotz expressed the hope that "good sense will prevail" and an agreement would be reached shortly. The apartment building, located at the second corner of the entrance to Eccles new housing scheme, was gutted in an 11-hour siege between London and a joint police/army team between February 8-9. Several attempts to set fire to the building during the night had failed. It was only on the morning of February 9, shortly after 0700 hrs that several armour-piercing grenades were launched into the building and it finally caught afire. Stabroek News, in efforts to find out who, if anyone, was liable for the gutted building, made contact with Lewis yesterday who said that he had on a previous occasion advised Trotz that he was in no position to "commit the government." Any claims that the businessman had "would have to go through the office of the Attorney-General," Lewis said. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today