TABUK: Three Saudi government officials in Tabuk are being investigated on charges of cheating real estate investors of SR80 million by abusing their official positions and forging the property deeds of government-owned real estate.
The officials, who had access to land record offices in Tabuk province, are accused of forging ownership documents in the name of a fourth accomplice for seven plots of prime real estate in the coastal town of Sharma, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported yesterday.
Investigators say the fourth individual then sold the land leaving no documentary evidence of the three government officials’ involvement.
Property developers reported how they received telephone calls from a man saying there was land with tourism potential for sale in Sharma.
The victims made enquiries about the land and were unable to sense any irregularities. This was further compounded by the seller rushing the sale by encouraging the investors to speed up their purchase, as they would risk losing a “golden” chance.
One of the investors only learned about the scam recently when he began construction work at the plot he thought he had purchased.
While filing paperwork, he was shocked to hear from a municipal official that the land he had paid millions for was government property and that he had no right to build there.
After contacting the other six buyers, the group checked official records and learned that they had been swindled. The officials involved in the scam have been removed from their posts.
