Businessman can’t sell his land as it is already “sold”

A LAND owner has found out that the plot of land in Ulu Yam, Selangor, he was going to sell had been already “sold” to another party.

Konwa Industrial Sewing Machine executive chairman Lim Chin Hua said he was informed by the potential buyer’s lawyer that the 0.8ha land under the company’s name had been transferred to another indidudual last year and there was also a caveat by another individual.

Lim bought the land for RM350,000 in 1999.

“The buyer had already paid a deposit of 2% when he found out about the land and is accusing me of trying to cheat him,” he said.

Lim has lodged a police report on the matter.

Public Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Theng Book said all documents provided by the Selangor land office pertaining to the land transfer had been forged.

“The land title has always been in Lim’s possession and the lawyer who supposedly handled the transfer has confirmed that he had no knowledge of it.

“During the transfer, the land office had evaluated the land at RM2mil and the individual is believed to have paid a stamp duty of RM68,000.

“The individual may be an innocent victim of a land syndicate. If so, he needs to come forward, lodge a police report and explain how he acquired the property and work with Lim to solve this case,” Theng said.

He said there were many ways to forge land documents.

“One only needs the particulars of the land owner and file a police report and submit it to the land office for a new land title in six months.

“Then, victims like Lim have to spend about RM100,000 to bring the case to court to get his land back.

“Therefore, I would like to alert the Selangor government to tighten the existing system at the land office and put a stop to fraudulent transfer of land,” he said.

16/5/2012 BY THESTAR NEWSPAPER