State Pre-Emptive Right of Purchase Act 2001 (No. 12 of 2001).

This Act grants a priority right to the Government of Kiribati to purchase land from landowners who offer such land for sale: (a) to any person not among the next-of-kin of the transferring owner; or (b) whether the person is next-of-kin or not, to any person for valuable consideration. The Act provides for the acquisition of such land by the State. No owner shall: (a) unconditionally accept an offer to purchase land; or (b) cause an alienation governed by this Act to be effected, without first providing notice to the State in a form set out in Schedule 2 to this Act. The purpose of the pre-emptive right of the State is to avoid accumulation of land by a single landowner who then lets the land lie idle and land planning control. The Act provides for a possibility to claim compensation if land has been compulsorily acquired and the owner has incurred a loss but also prescribes severe penalties, including forfeiture of the land, for landowners who try to cheat the Government.