Suella’s dad revoked power of attorney after land was sold

Panaji: Two days after police registered an FIR in an alleged land grab case concerning the ancestral property at Assagao of UK home secretary Suella Braverman following a complaint by her father, Christie Fernandes, documents with TOI show that the land was sold by Christie’s brother Fr Ayres Fernandes.
Christie had given a general power of attorney to his brother, who executed the deed of sale for two properties.
But less than a month after Ayres sold the properties, Christie revoked the power of attorney through a public notice and later filed a civil suit at a local court in Mapusa.
Documents perused by TOI reveal that Christie and his wife Uma gave the general power of attorney to Ayres on May 18, 1991, and Christie revoked it on March 9, 2019. But before the revocation, Ayres executed the deed of sale in both properties on January 18, 2019, and February 20, 2019.
Two families held ownership of the two properties under survey numbers 253/3 and 252/3, with a total area of around 20,000 sqm. Two-thirds of it belonged to Braverman’s family and the remaining one-third belonged to Filomena Fernandes, an aunt of Christie.
In 2018, Ayres approached the real estate developers R9 Ventures for the sale of properties. The developers asked for a family inventory, which was completed in December 2018.
In the meantime, the developer purchased Filomena’s share on May 28, 2018.
Following the family inventory, Ayres executed the sale deed with the builder for the two family properties in January and February 2019, respectively.
Soon after the sale deed was executed, Christie revoked the power of attorney given to Ayres through a public notice.
“This notice is given to the public in general that I, Cristo Santana Godfrio Fernandes alias Christie G. S. Fernandes alias Cristo Fernandes, son of late Roque Claudio Maaquis Fernandes, aged about 72 years, married, service and residing at H no 52, Ravenscraft Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 9TL, London, have revoked and cancelled the general power of attorney dated 16/4/1991 executed before the high commission of India, London, and adjudicated before the collector of Goa dated 17/5/1991, executed in favour of my brother Father Ayres Fernandes,” the public notice said.
Issued on March 9, 2019, the notice further said that the inventory proceeding bearing no 417/2018/D and the mutation carried out in respect of survey no 252 sub-division no 3 and survey no 253 sub-division no 3 of Assagao are being challenged.
On April 24, 2019, Christie filed a civil suit at Mapusa court challenging the family inventory.
After the state government formed an SIT to look after land grabbing cases in Goa, Christie wrote to chief minister Pramod Sawant and DGP Jaspal Singh on July 27 this year stating that “an inventory case was filed without my knowledge, and I was represented in the said case by someone who claimed to be my power of attorney”.
Christie also claimed that he was not issued any notice at his residential address in the UK. “The fraudsters have also usurped and sold the said property without giving any recognition or consideration to me. I even understand that a sale transaction in respect of my said ancestral land was done before filing and conclusion of the inventory proceeding,” Christie had said in his complaint.
The SIT then registered an FIR under Section 420 (cheating) IPC against unknown persons.
Meanwhile, R9 Ventures, who purchased the entire property of around 20,000 sqm, sold part of it to another developer. Both are constructing villas, which are nearing completion.