Minister: New land bill will slow fraudsters

The Miscellaneous Provisions Bill will take aim at schemers and corrupt attorneys seeking to defraud people of cash through fraudulent land transactions, according to Minister of Land, Agriculture and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi on Tuesday.

Rambharat defended the bill during his contribution to the debate on the Miscellaneous Provisions (Registrar General, Registration of Deeds, Conveyancing and Law of Property, Real Property, Stamp Duty and Registration of Title to Land) Bill during a Senate sitting.

He responded to queries from Opposition Senator Saddam Hosein over whether there were sufficient provisions in place within the bill to address matters of land fraud.

Rambharat said Government along with the Law Association of TT, the Registrar General and other stakeholders had held exhaustive discussions in ensuring the bill had adequate provisions to address matters of fraud.

Citing his own experience in having land fraud reported to him, Rambharat said such fraudulent transactions needed to be addressed urgently and the bill would force compliance from land owners.

“I thought I had seen it all but, I believe it was last year, when someone who had witnessed a highly fraudulent land transaction deposited the documents on my desk and it related to signatures that were forged, stamps that were fabricated and a complete fraudulent transaction which passed the muster of one of the largest financial institutions in this country which granted a $6 million mortgage.

“So this was not petty fraud or snake-oil salesmen, this had become big business. And, within half an hour, that package was dropped off to the office of the Commissioner of Police.

“It troubled me that transactions can be so fraudulent but yet so clean as to pass multiple checks of a large financial institution.” He said fraudsters were becoming more brazen and detailed in convincing the public to buy land that belonged to someone else.

Referring to another incident where a woman “bought” government land from a fraudster, Rambharat said the matter was only brought to his attention through a chance visit to one of the properties.

“If I had not been the sort of minister who shows up all over the place at anytime, I would not have found that lady doing renovations one of these two properties as though they were hers and possibly in her mind they were hers.”

During his contribution Al-Rawi also defended the bill saying the very intention of the amendments were to offer greater transparency to prospective land-buyers and asserted that corrupt lawyers were threatened by the provisions.

“This law will tackle corrupt people who have executed agreements for sale who then go and execute conveyances but never register their conveyances because their is no law to compel them to register.

“What happens is when law enforcement goes to the property under investigation it will show up under the name of the old owner that happens everyday in this country that is why so many people are afraid of this law, including lawyers because there is rampant fraud in this country and lawyers know it.”

The Senate sitting was adjourned to Wednesday.