Registrar General Shane Miller has vowed to launch an investigation as a result of complaints that documents submitted to the Deeds and Documents Registry have been thrown away.
At least one local lawyer has expressed frustration after being informed by staff that several of their important documents had been destroyed in the old Registrar General’s Office.
According to staff, documents submitted between November 2005 to the present were affected.
However, it was unclear exactly how many of the documents were damaged, or exactly how many lawyers would be affected. “We were told the documents had been damaged and could we just submit’ new ones,” the lawyer said. However, the attorney told The Tribune that it was impossible to “just submit new documents due to the time, cost and nature of the documents involved.”
The lawyer added that to recreate the documents would result in hours of work and a significant amount of money.
“Who is expected to pay for this, my clients who already thought their documents were filed, or me who has a staff that I have to pay?” asked the attorney.
“This is an incredible inconvenience,” the lawyer said.
To make matters worse, the attorney added that although they have insurance for damaged documents, it only applies to documents damaged while in their possession.
The attorney also said it is ridiculous that no one in the Registrar General’s office can shed any light on this situation. “There is no feedback,” said the lawyer.
Yesterday Mr Miller, when contacted by The Tribune, said he had no knowledge of the situation. However, he said, he would discuss the matter with staff and get to the bottom of what has happened.
Source: The Tribune
