A Jeddah notary public who falsified nine powers-of-attorney was jailed in Braiman Correctional Facility recently. A Ministry of Justice inspector ordered all the legal documents issued by the notary public to be scrutinized to ensure they complied with due process. The notary public collaborated with real estate businessmen and issued false documents empowering them to sell the land of some citizens. These transactions were invalidated by the ministry's inspector because they were issued without the knowledge of the land owners. The businessmen are also going to be investigated. Informed sources told a local Arabic daily that the notary public's tricks fell through when some citizens discovered their land was sold by unknown persons. They filed a complaint at the Jeddah General Court and the judge ordered the original documents be brought from the notary public's office, but it turned out that the latter did not have any original papers. The court referred the case to the Ministry of Justice which in turn dispatched an inspector to examine the cases. To his surprise, the inspector did not find any trace of the nine powers-of-attorney issued by the notary public. He then declared the transactions null and void. He referred the case to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution which investigated the notary public and sent him to jail. The notary public's collaborators will also be arrested and referred to the Bureau of Grievances. Initial investigations have shown that two well-known real estate businessmen are involved.
