The Central Auditing Organization (CAO), a government oversight organization, will form a commitee to investigate encroachments on state-owned land. The committee will submit a report on its findings regarding encroachments on land belonging to the General Authority for Rehabilitation Projects and Agricultural Development. This land is allocated to reclamation projects and farming. The final report will determine which plots of land are under state authority, which land has been seized by individuals but whose status has been legitimized, as well as where there are encroachments on state-owned land and which land is no longer under the authority of the General Authority for Rehabilitation Projects and Agricultural Projects since 2009. The report also hopes to establish rules governing the legitimization of the status of land seized by individuals. The report complements another preliminary report prepared earlier on the encroachments on land allocated to national projects. This report uncovered several violations by businesspeople and other individuals, a source said. The final report should provide a comprehensive overview of encroachments on state-owned land. The same source said that monitoring authorities have received reports pointing out discrepancies in treatment with regards to the imposition of fines on individuals who have changed the type of activity of their land. Such violations favor certain well-connected investors, the source added. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
