Registrar of Lands Juliet Sattaur was yesterday sent on leave to facilitate an investigation into the operation of the registry and “certain financial matters,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon has revealed.
The minister was asked about the Land Registry, which for years had seen a lot of controversy surrounding it, during a press conference at the Ministry of the Presidency and he said that Sattaur had been sent on leave, “as of today.”
Last week, in a letter she sent to this newspaper in response to one published in the Kaieteur News which stated that the Supreme Court and Land Registries needed professional management, Sattaur called the writer misinformed and advised that the person should “take a seat when reading what I have to say.”
She pointed out that the letter writer had indicated that she was arrogant and advised the person to Google “this word along with honesty, sincerity, integrity and principle; I operate within that framework.
“I have often said that I do not take a sweet drink, a fried rice or knock glasses with anyone, therefore I am not friends with anyone, and I like it that way.”
Sattaur added that she was placed at the registry to do a job and it is one which she does well.
Defending her work, Sattaur said she: Signed off all “In Order” transfers for the year 2014. Many have been uplifted by the respective lawyers;
Transfers filed for 2015 are being checked as far as April to date and still checking;
Mortgages filed for 2015 are being processed for June;
Corrections returned to the Land Registry by the respective lawyers are being processed for August 2014;
Ministry of Housing transfers are being processed for 30th January, 2014. For this Ministry we have 8,391 transfers filed for 2014; and
Applications for Lost Grosse/ Mutilated Grosse and Certificates of Sale are being processed for June 2014.
She had also added that customers would visit the registry and complain that they had paid off their lawyers who informed them that the matters were filed with the Land Registry.
“That is indeed so, but when we inform them that the matters are out of order and the lawyer needs to do the corrections, they sometimes take the queries or have the lawyers’ clerks come in and they do take the queries, but the matters are left unattended and I get the blame. Is that fair? I am ready to expose all and sundry as I am doing now,” she said.
She also stated that she would have worked in the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court Registry; State Solicitor/Public Trustee and Deeds Registry. She was Deputy Registrar in the Deeds Registry when she assumed the position of Registrar of Lands.
