Local authorities are investigating a man who took possession of a mosque in a public garden and turned it into a house in which he has been living for the last five years. The man, who is an employee of the Qulwa administration, reportedly used his position to allow the move. A letter from the Emir of Al-Baha's office reportedly told Qulwa chief administrator Muhammad Al-Ghamdi that the site was his responsibility, describing it as a “public garden for use by residents of the area”. “It is located in the Al-Kadama District in front of the building of the citizen, who works at your administration, and we are informed that the court previously asked that a small mosque be constructed at the site as there was no mosque in the area, a request approved by the municipality,” the letter stated. The letter continued by noting that the mosque was built in accordance with the plans, but was then converted “for no justifiable reason” into a storage facility for a charity, at which point the local employee requested intervention by a sheikh to obtain possession of the site, a request subsequently granted by the municipality chairman in defiance of regulatory procedures. The regional Emir has asked Al-Ghamdi to return the site to its status as a public garden and turn the employee over to the relevant authorities for investigation. Al-Ghamdi said, however, that the house remained standing at the site. “The case is being looked at by the courts,” he said. “A committee looking into it has presented its recommendations to the regional Emir and is awaiting a final decision from the judge.”
