NBI winds up investigation on land titling scam

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the other day that they are now readying charges against government officials who are allegedly involved in fake and multiple land titling scam in General Santos City.

Boye Mama, the agency’s regional director, said that he expects to finish the investigation and data gathering by the end of the month and they will seek legal advice from the NBI head office in Manila before presenting the case to NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco.

In a telephone interview, Mama said that the alleged modus operandi of the syndicate is first to obtain a land title at the Land Registration Authority and sell these new titles to unsuspecting land buyers.

One of the complainants against this scam is the Alsons Development and Investment Corp., which has leased a 700-hectare property from the government.

Alsons said their lease expires in 2007, however, five persons are now claiming they are in possession of land titles to the said property. — Evelyn Macairan