Minnis: I understand you were overcharged by the former govt but I cannot change that
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis clarified in Parliament yesterday that he had made no pledge to provide rebates to homeowners in the Ardastra Gardens Estate #3 subdivision, whom he asserted had been overcharged for their residence under the previous administration.
Minnis, after concluding a COVID-19 communication in Parliament, said: “A week ago in Parliament, I stated that homes in Ardastra Gardens were being bought for $182,000. When we came in government, we felt that these individuals were overpriced and charged more than they should have [been].
“Therefore, the last few homes that were left, for those who were purchasing those homes, we had dropped the fee to $140,000.
“An individual whom I have great respect for and admiration — and he knows that he would not like me lose that respect — he is reporting to the people in Ardastra that I said we would reduce their fee or their purchase price from the $180,000 or $250,000 that they paid to $140,000. I said no such thing.”
Minnis added: “I want those people to understand that their mortgage and conveyance I cannot change. I cannot change that. They were overcharged by the previous government. I cannot change that but I can correct it moving forward.”
Irate homeowners in a Fort Charlotte subdivision earlier this week had called on the prime minister to provide a $40,000 rebate on the government homes they purchased and for the government to address structural issues with those residences.
Veron Pratt, president of the Ardastra Gardens Estates #3 Homeowners Association, told Eyewitness News the prime minister had yet to deliver on the rebate he referenced during debate on the proposed 83-acre Prospect Ridge subdivision.
Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira had previously stated in Parliament that under the former Christie administration, Bahamians were, in many cases, being overcharged between $20,000 to $40,000 for homes developed by Arawak Homes, an assertion Arawak Homes President Franon Wilson has previously denied.
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