RIYADH — The Court of Appeals upheld a prison sentence issued by an administrative court against a notary public for forging official documents. Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) spokesman Abdulrahman Al-Ajlan said the notary in question signed on a land deal in Tabuk when the rightful owner of the land was not notified of the deal. "The commission received a call from a Saudi man saying he had a forged property deed given to him by the notary public in Tabuk. The man said he bought a piece of land but was later shocked to know that the documents were invalid," said Al-Ajlan. He said the commission investigated the incident and found out that the notary had signed on behalf of the original owner of the plot without notifying the owner and the buyer. "The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution investigated the case and proved in the administrative court beyond doubt that the notary public was guilty of forgery. The court sentenced him to two years in prison. The Ministry of Justice fired him from the job when the allegations were confirmed," said Al-Ajlan. He said the court also convicted two of the man's colleagues for complicity. "The court sentenced one of his aids to two years in prison and the other to a year," he added. The sentences were challenged in the Court of Appeals but the court after a thorough review of the case upheld the earlier verdict, said Al-Ajlan. He said the commission encourages all citizens to report any cases of fraud and corruption they come across. "Our duty is to combat corruption, especially monetary and administrative corruption. We welcome calls from citizens who can help us ensure Saudi society is as free of corruption as much as possible," said Al-Ajlan.
