A high-stakes legal dispute over ownership of a prime historic property in central Georgetown, Guyana, has escalated to the country’s High Court, with the city’s Mayor and City Council taking both the national government and a private security firm to court over allegations of illegal trespassing and wrongful occupation.
The vacant Water Street building, which previously served as the City Constabulary Training Complex, is at the center of the conflict. The legal claim was formally filed by Town Clerk Candace Nelson on behalf of the municipal government, acting in accordance with a formal Council resolution that authorized Mayor Alfred Mentore to pursue legal recourse against the two respondents: Attorney General (representing the Guyana government) and private security provider RK Security.
According to court documents, the municipal government argues the 200-plus-year-old property has been legally owned by public municipal transport authorities since the 1800s, meaning neither the national government nor the private security firm have any legal right to occupy or remain on the site. The claimants are asking the High Court to officially affirm their ownership rights and confirm the trespassing allegation.
The legal action was triggered after Mayor Mentore made a critical discovery during a site visit on March 27, 2026, when he found members of the Guyana Police Force present on the property and a new official signage posted along the site’s perimeter fence, signaling an imminent government takeover. Beyond a declaration of trespassing, the municipal government is also seeking two key court orders: a mandatory directive requiring the government and RK Security to immediately vacate the building and all premises, and a permanent injunction barring the respondents from entering the site or carrying out any construction or development work on the land.
Compounding the legal claims, the Mayor and City Council is also seeking GY$5 million in general damages, in addition to covering all legal costs associated with the court proceedings. The dispute has already sparked public disagreement from top government officials: Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand has publicly asserted that the property legally belongs to the State, with ownership tracing back to the colonial era. However, Mayor Mentore pushed back on these claims in a public statement this Friday, affirming that the municipal council holds concrete, verifiable documentation proving its long-standing ownership of the Water Street site.
The case marks a significant public conflict between municipal and national authorities in Guyana over land rights, with the outcome set to set a key precedent for intergovernmental property disputes across the country.