ABHA, 15 December 2002 — Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has ordered the cancellation of several land allotments and an inquiry into the reported shady practices of the head and members of the land distribution committee at Abha municipality.
Prince Khaled issued the order following reports of the suspicious manner in which land allotments were made. A municipal official charged that the head of the committee picked the beneficiaries and distributed the plots as he pleased without consulting or informing other officials. He undertook the drawing of lots for the selection of beneficiaries by himself in contravention of regulations. The cancelled allotments were the plots 440 and 610 in addition to part of plot 439 at Tamniah.
In his order Prince Khaled said: “Stern action will be taken if it is found that the responsible official was not trustworthy and had some ulterior motive.”
Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Mohammed Al-Jarallah has issued an order nullifying these land allotments on grounds that they violated regulations which stipulate that land grants should be made on the basis of the priority of applications and that lots should be drawn publicly under official supervision .
The minister also directed the municipalities in the Asir region to find residential plots for all applicants from Abha municipality.
