Wednesday, May 02, 2007
IDPs caught up in property scam
Security
(IRIN) - Officials in the Iraqi Ministry of Construction and Housing have asked Iraqis to be wary of vendors who sell properties belonging to the displaced under false pretences. Illegal vendors are using fake documents and forged signatures to sell houses that belong to displaced Iraqis who have been forced to leave their homes as a result of sectarian violence.
Some of them, according to Ministry of Construction officials, produce documents in English which say the US authorities' in Iraq have authorised the sale of such properties, thus making unsuspecting buyers confident that the transaction is legal. Nissrine Issam, a senior official in the Ministry of Construction and Housing, said citizens should be extra careful when exchanging documents for the sale of houses or goods; they should never use third parties, such as agents, in their transactions.
In some districts where violence is escalating, new residents who bought houses with fake documents are refusing to leave the properties they bought and are asking for protection from militias. The problem is compounded by the fact that the majority of property – houses and land – in Iraq is not in the name of the people who claim to own it, specialists say. Many people do not have title to their own land or houses.
In some districts where violence is escalating, new residents who bought houses with fake documents are refusing to leave the properties they bought and are asking for protection from militias. The problem is compounded by the fact that the majority of property – houses and land – in Iraq is not in the name of the people who claim to own it, specialists say. Many people do not have title to their own land or houses.
Labels: IDPs, Ministry of Construction and Housing
