Land Registry denies tampering with official documents
The Department of Land Registry has denied claims it has been tampering with official documents and causing Virgin Islanders to lose ownership of their lands.
In a statement on October 9 this year, Opposition Leader Andrew Fahie stood in the House of Assembly and made statements that suggested that the department was unlawfully altering official registration documents to make them different from select landowners’ copy of those documents.
The department condemned the Opposition Leader for making those allegations.
“Members of the staff [of the Land Registry] are of the view that if an alleged irregularity was brought to the attention of the Honourable member of the House (Fahie), the more appropriate channels could have been used to fully investigate the complaint,” the department said in a letter read to the House by the minister responsible for land, Dr Kedrick Pickering, on Thursday.
The department said, ‘to the best of their knowledge’, the statements from Fahie were “baseless and unwarranted”.
“The members of the staff are dismayed at the insinuations contained in the statements … This situation brings into question by the public the credibility of the department. Further, it can potentially undermine the character of each and every member of staff,” Dr Pickering read.
He continued: “It must be made known that the alteration of any official document is governed principally by the Registered Land Act, Cap 229. Because the department is concerned about the possible implication of the statement, the department hereby seeks to have the statements clarified.”
CLICK HERE for the full statement as read by Dr Kedrick Pickering
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Wow!! leh me check mine and pay my over due taxes buddy.
That is an *outrageous* accusation for a member of the House to make in public without any substantiation.
The Land Registry has an appeals process so that any person aggrieved by an entry can have the matter determined at a fair hearing. If there really are errors on the Registry, why haven’t the parties used the procedure that is for precisely that purpose? And why didn’t the politician concerned suggest to them that they do so instead of embarking on a round of wild political grand standing?
Because obviously the aggrieved parties would have tried to follow the correct process but either a lawyer doesn’t want to take their case because they are friends with the culprit or someone in registry may have given the aggrieved the run around. Obviously, after finding no answers, they then would escalate to a minister, just like you and I probably would if we are civilised. Obviously, the minister who is notable for listening to the people and raising concerns on their behalf, is just doing his job. Obviously, the problem would have been raised with other ministers but now you know who will speak for you if you are in this position, and who would not! Duhh
Even if everything you say is true (not sure about that), then where does Fahie get licence to say that the Land Registry has been engaging in illegal document tampering? Has he conducted any kind of investigation which would justify such a serious accusation to be levelled at public servants?
I concur. There are other departments who are guilty of doing as you just outlined in your post.
When everyone is back peddling, hiding things under the wrong, holding hands with those who engage in these acts, where is the accountability.
Cannot expect persons who are affected to turn a blind eye hoping the longer the matter is avoided that it would be forgotten.
Enough is Enough!
To satisfy his rich white friends, but let them tamper with mine. I will raise the ancestors on them and make them run for dishonesty.
When have we ever seen someone admit to wrongdoing without being caught in the act.
When have they admitted wrongdoing even when they are caught in the act!!!
Jesus?
Oh please. Keep off of Andrew.
It has been known to all that tampering has been going on for decades..Missing pages in document books, and the lack of awareness by staff when shown of such descrepancies.
Yes, lands are stolen and could never be returned to the rightful owners without such written documents.
Perhaps,an online search system alongside with an effective paper trail system, coupled with electronic monitoring, could render the system foulproof.
However, the land-grabbing pundits could be seen as the greatest obstacles to such implementations.
Get your facts together before you blindly run your mouth!!!!
Andrew you are so correct. It is alleged as many has experience many of the Lawyers here are corrupt they dont want to fight land cases they go to the highest bidder.
Yes Andrew is correct the lawyers take your money duck and hide dont return calls and when you hear a grapevine from the person you are fighting it seems everything you discuss with your lawyer they know.
Especially if its a person or company that gives them work or has the potential to, they dont want to take your case but they lead you on a string to take your money.
You have family members who try to rob the other. And land registry always seem to side with them.
Our politicians put laws on the books like illegitimacy but land case conflict that plague our country especially with executors taking the land like it is there’s the house of assembly ignore and dont bring laws to make alot of things clear.
the deputy DR (if he is still their) runs his mouth too much also very d————l.
Unfortunately, these allegations might have some truth to them. There is an instance were a lawyer sold land unknown to the landowner to a client. Also, there is an issue where an administrator sign over land ownership to a widow whereas the landowner owner did not sign any documents to the Spouse (deceased). Also, there are cases were family members giving siblings access to build on property that is not legally theirs. So insight, there are some issues that makes the department looks bad.
Land Registry is a another pathetic government department! When they fail to do their job correctly intentionally or not people find that their land boundaries are not where they should be..
How can a land be divided into plots, be surveyed, drawn up by Survey Dept and then surveyed by them, signed and stamped by Survey Dept and given plot numbers only to find out years later that someone at land registry did not put it into ledger… so it’s not valid.. there are countless stories like this which show this department’s failures… Ridiculous BVI system as usual !
Just like at the Wong Havers development project…
It is alleged that the —– surveyor is doing work on the side causing prejudice in decisions.
The people representing us are so backward they don’t understand the various plights of the people they claimed to represent. I know for a fact these claims from Andrew are very true because my family was a victm and to pay thousands of dollars to clear up the problem. The Dupty Premier should have investigated before trying to discredit Andrew.
Checking your register when you buy isnt enough. You also need to continuously check parcels around you because when they ‘forget’ to copy the residential covenants during subdivision, you could end up with a commercial project next door
Some of the land thieves for which the BVI is well known didn’t get through and went complaining to Fahie. What else is new? Law goes against you so you go to a politician to try and get what you want. Poor BVI.
There is truth to this claim. This is not a new issue but no one has carried their claim to the right place so far.