Hiya
I heard somewhere that if the Dominican government / army decides they want your land or your property, that they can just take it from you with no compensation. Does anyone know if there is any truth in this?
:ermm:
Under US law, and in other countries that have adopted the old English Common Law, and I would suspect even those that follow the Napoleonic legal tradition, real property is ultimately owned by the sovereign and then titled to person(s) or other legal entities. The sovereign retains the power to confiscate the land under conditions set out in the laws of the nation-state, in the US it is called Eminent Domain. The US Constitution requires the taking to be made only after due process of law is afforded the title holder and with "reasonable compensation."
So the idea that land can be taken by the sovereign power is not complete BS.
"Social interest", ah, there's the rub. How is "social interest" defined, and who does the defining?
In Conneticut, a neighborhood was taken by eminent domain in order to build an industrial park. The city used the argument that it was in the social interest to create jobs. The original owners sued, and they eventually lost their case in the Supreme Court, with the most liberal judge casting the deciding vote.
Kelo v. City of New London - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anyone who thinks they are protected by the law as far as property rights goes is sadly mistaken. The same is true in any country in the world, from the harsest dictatorship to the so-called "showcase" of democracy. Ultimately, the government owns your land.