Investigation of facts of fraud with land plots

A major retail chain instructed us to accompany a deal on the purchase of a land plot for the construction of a shopping and entertainment center in the South of Russia. Due diligence revealed no negative aspects, the legal transaction was simple and transparent. Knowing the specifics of the Southern region, we advised the management to verify the status of adjacent land plots on the side of the main road where the road exits were planned. The administration of the Region promised to give approval to the road exits as soon as possible after the acquisition of the land plot, as the land was owned by the Region. The company disregarded our recommendations and relied on the decency of officials. In a month, it turned out that a narrow strip of land 10 meters wide around the perimeter of the plot of our client is owned already by the wife of the head of the local Internal Affairs Administration! The new owner requested 1 mln EUR for the authorization to lay communications and roads …