Technology

Something worse happened in my city. The city hall expropriated some land from the owner with the justification it was needed for a public interest project. The project wasn't very detailed and pretty much half-assed like it wasn't serious. The owner was pissed since the land was sure to raise its price by a lot in a few years. The city was experiencing a major boom and the land was right where the city center was expanding to. But he loses the land and receives a "fair market price".

Right after the land is expropriated the city hall cancels the project and, since it was no longer needed and the land is considered useless sells it very cheaply to a known real estate entrepreneur with ties to the (very corrupt) Mayor. In a couple of years construction has started in the area (by other friends of the mayor) and the value of the land explodes. The entrepeneur sells it back for a fortune to the city hall. The city hall justifies the huge payment due to the need for a mall there. That mall never turned a profit and was bankrupt in a few years.

The original owner sued city hall and the old mayor. The case is tied in courts for decades now. It's ridiculous. My city is the capital of corruption in a corrupt country.