Former Commissioner of Lands ordered to pay costs in case over granting former client’s petition

Justice Winston Patterson has ordered former Commission-er of Lands and Oaths, Mirza Sahadat to pay costs in the sum of $150,000, in relation to a civil action filed against him.

Mirza Sahadat had filed twelve petitions for his clients while he was retained as their counsel.

However, subsequent to his appointment at the Land Court in Berbice, the cases were assigned to him by the Chief Justice and same were tried by him in which he gave judgment for the petitioners.

The case file 200/2008 related to the transported pro-perty belonging to Rafeena Ramjohn of Springlands, Corentyne.

Ramjohn, who reside overseas, was alerted and having checked with the registrar found that an order was made giving her property at 103 Springlands, to Sahadat’s client Ameer Ali.

Subsequently Ramjohn caused an action to be filed in the High Court, case 43/2010, against Mirza Sahadat ,Com-missioner of Lands; Ali and the Registrar.

Justice William Ramlal had granted an injunction against  all of the three defendants, pending a chamber hearing .

On July 15, Sahadat, represented by attorney Ramesh Rajkumar,  informed Justice Patterson that he would like the matter resolved amicably. The other lawyer, Adrian Anamayah, for Ali, consented that the trial of  petition 200/2008 was a nullity and that all orders, therefrom are null, void and of no legal effect,

The Court ordered costs against Sahadat and Ali, in the sum of $150,000 each.

Meanwhile there are eleven other petitions where Sahadat was allegedly the lawyer involved and he granted the petitions.

When the action was filed against him he resigned from his post as Commissioner of Title effective from May 31.