A citizen here has won his court battle with Abha Mayoralty in a real estate dispute. The Court of Grievances found that the mayoralty had illegally denied a citizen his right to use his own developed land for over nine years. The verdict issued by the Board of Grievances in Abha described the mayoralty's behavior as “abuse of power”. In its ruling, the court stated that the mayoralty had stood in the way of the public interest as the man was planning to sell his developed land plots to the public. The court also deemed the mayoralty's action as preoccupying the judiciary with unnecessary matters. The verdict also held the mayoralty responsible for the damage the citizen sustained, as it prevented him from the right to have investment return on his developed land plots. The court also rejected the mayoralty's argument that the man's title deeds were invalid and that the developer encroached on other privately-owned properties. The General Court had earlier confirmed the man's legal ownership of the land. The court has also based its verdict on official approval of the developed land from the city planning department at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. The court has also found the mayoralty at odds after it voided its initial approval of the developed land, which had been used to issue ownership titles from the court. The lawyer of the developer said that the verdict was fair. “We are going to sue Abha Mayoralty for financial damages incurred in the past nine years,” said Yahya Al-Yahya. This is the second verdict issued against Abha Mayoralty after it illegally demolished a man's house. The court then ordered the mayor or his deputy be investigated.
