Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — A landowner has sued a number of shops open on his land and caused them to shut down after they had been operating for more than half a century in Al-Nuzlah District east of Jeddah, Al-Bilad reported. Hussain Awadh, one of the shop owners, said the landowner, identified only by his surname of Al-Sharbatly, owns a plot in the commercial area of Al-Nuzlah District. He said: “A number of shop owners have had a dispute with Al-Sharbatly for years and now he took it to court without notifying us. “He took the case straight to the governor and portrayed an untruthful image of us.” Another storeowner, Zaid Al-Ghamdi, said the traders were surprised by the municipality's notice to shut down their stores. He said: “I asked the field inspector for the reason why the municipality was shutting down the stores in the area and he said he had orders from the court to do so. “We have been having troubles with Al-Sharbatly for many years and this is the most extreme of measures he has taken to kick us out.” He also said the shop owners had been operating since 1972 and Al-Sharbatly bought the land in 1975. “We were on it first and I don't understand how he bought it in the first place. “He has tried to kick us out by cutting the electricity off. We complained about his actions to the governor and he was very cooperative and forced the electricity company to restore power to us.” Al-Ghamdi said he has been in the business ever since he was a young boy following in his father's footsteps. “We have a clean record and all of our legal and commercial documents are valid. I don't understand by what right the municipality is shutting us down. “Some of us have decided to sue the municipality over its actions.” He urged the governor to come and visit them in person to see that they have not committed a single violation and that they have been operating for over half a century with a clean commercial record. Trader Raed Al-Uwaid said the sudden closure notice caused him to lose millions of riyals. He said: “The municipality's decision was completely unjust and inconsiderate. We are being wronged and it is costing us millions. “I hope the municipality reconsiders its decision and refrains from any action against us. “We will not give up on our right that easily and we will follow up with the courts in Jeddah.” Lawyer Hisham Janbouli said it was unjust for the municipality to shut down the stores in Al-Nuzlah District. He said: “The stores are open in a known commercial area, so they are not bothering anybody. “They also have legal documents supporting their case while the municipality does not have any documentations validating its decision.” He added that the municipality did not give the shop owners prior notice and allow them time to respond to the closure order.
