Al-Rawi: Manual searches to resume in stages

ATTORNEY General Faris Al-Rawi says the return of manual searches of titles will be resuming in stages following a “mammoth” barcoding exercise.

He was responding to an urgent question in Senate on Tuesday.

He said in the exercise eight million deeds, 7,000 Real Property Ordinance (RPO) volumes, four million birth and death cerificates and 90,000 company records were “well in tow.” “We expect in that move time to able to open the manual side of the registry in stages.”

He said firstly the RPO documents should have been completed and moved by Tuesday and unpacking on shelves within one week. He said secondly the land registry, which is a five million document portfoliuo, should be available two weeks after the RPO documents are available.

“So we are anticipating that we will be able to beat our deadlines but suffice it to say it is a very careful exercise that is unfolding because we must barcode and document every document that is leaving and going and its proper receit.”

Opposition Senator Wade Mark said, while it was a very meticulous exercise, asked the AG about the incovenience encountered by officials who have to conduct the necessary title seraches to ensure transactions are executed on a timely basis. Al-Rawi responded that he has met with stakeholders the Registry Search Clerks Association, Law Association, Bankers association and members of the public.

“We’ve been working 24 hours a day. We’ve enlisted the facility corporation of the TTDF but what we’re engaged in is an exercise that has never been done before. The barcoding of documents is something that simply was never done.”

He said the system being used right now allows officials to track a document exactly where it is on a shelf.