Land title revoked as officer sought in ‘illegal’ transfer

THE Department of Lands and Physical Planning has revoked the Integrated Land Group (ILG) title for the land which belonged to the Doa and Koiari landowners in Central.
Minister Justin Tkatchenko, pictured, told The National that their land was illegally acquired and taken away by settlers from Goilala.
He said ILG director Iruna Rogakila has issued an instruction to cancel the ILG certificate.
Kairuku-Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo had raised in Parliament the issue about the Doa and Koiari landowners whose land was illegally acquired and taken away.
“The department will investigate which officers issued the illegal documents,” Tkatchenko said.
“We do not tolerate this sort of corruption and we want to get rid of these sorts of issues.
“This clearly shows that the landowners were not represented and consulted.
“How can you issue an ILG to outsiders when the landowners were never consulted about their own land?
“That is being rectified and a letter has gone to the ILG to return the certificate so that it would be cancelled.
“As minister all I’m doing is trying to rectify all the mistakes of the past. There have been so many issues now that we have established the fraud and complaints unit,” Tkatchenko said.