A former land record officer with the National Land Commission, Sonam Norbu, rebutted the allegations made against him by the Office of Attorney General (OAG), at the Thimphu District Court, this morning.
The Office of Attorney General charged Sonam Norbu of colluding with the former Royal Advisory Councillor, Chang Ugyen in tampering documents to increase the land holding in Omkha in Changjalu from 0.02 decimals to 3.02 acres and creating a new thram of seven acres land in Lubding.
Sonam Norbu denied the charges and said all proceedings were done as per the law. He said the court can question Chang Ugyen to find out if he had aided Chang Ugyen.
He added he was not the only official who dealt with land documents at the time. Sonam Norbu said when the problem began in 2004, the handwriting on the tampered documents was verified and it was proven that the handwriting wasn’t his. He said further investigations should be carried out to ascertain whose handwriting it was.
He added if proven guilty he is ready to bear any retribution as per the law. But if OAG fails to prove the allegations, he said the officials should be charged for defaming him. Sonam Norbu said it is not fair to charge innocent people like him without proper evidence.