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UAE: Man fined Dh5,000 for building farm on government land

Ras Al Khaimah - The GCC national argued that he had inherited the farm and it was, in fact, first built around 70 years ago.

The Ras Al Khaimah Misdemeanour Court has ordered a Gulf citizen to pay a fine of Dh5,000 for illegally building a farm on a plot of land owned by the government without taking permission.

As per the charge sheet, the defendant built a cattle barn and a fence on a land owned by the local government.

However, the GCC national argued that he had inherited the farm and it was, in fact, first built around 70 years ago.

The prosecution witness, a civic inspector, told the court that he had detected the defendant building a cattle barn on the land, using rocks, while in a police chopper.

He added that he was unable to land the chopper there at the time due to the rough nature of the place, which is inaccessible by both cars and machinery.

The defence lawyer requested a real estate expert to be assigned to examine the farm, and identify the age of the premises.

She argued that the civic inspector had not met her client or talked to him. “He only filed a report on the barn as being illegally built on a plot of land owned by the local government without even checking how old it is,” she said

The lawyer further noted that the area mentioned in the inspector’s report was different from the one that houses the cattle barn.

“He did not check whether my client built the farm or inherited it many years ago,” she stated.

The Court said the defendant was proven to have built a fence and a cattle barn without a license, as per the RAK municipality report.

It added that the defendant has also admitted to the public prosecution that he only renewed his house without having a license because the farm was old.

The Court ordered the defendant to pay a fine of Dh5,000, along with court charges.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com