Amendments to the Land Law
The Land Law promulgated by Royal Decree 5 of 1980 (as amended) has been further amended by Royal Decree 56 of 2014, effective as of 14 October 2014. Two of those amendments include:
- Article 28 now provides that in addition to forfeiting his right in what he seeks or has secured, any person who owns or tries to assist another to buy or rent land by using a false certificate or other illegitimate means shall receive a prison sentence of no less than 6 months and no more than 3 years, as well as a fine of no less than RO 500 and no more than RO 100.
- Article 16 bis (1) the Ministry of Housing shall make decisions with regards to the applications filed to it and shall refer recommendations to the Minister of Housing or his authorised representative to take a decision within 90 days as of the date of issuance. Previously, the competent land affairs committees had 6 months to review and decide upon an application submitted to them where their recommendation will be assessed by the Minister of Housing within a further 2 months.
Articles that have been amended by Royal Decree 56 of 2014 are: 7, 16 bis, 16 bis (1), 23 (bis), 27 and Article 28. Further, Articles 15, 16 and 21 have been deleted in their entirety.
