Section 23

Any person wishing to transfer, charge, lease or sub-lease his land shall deliver to the Land Officer an instru-ment in one of the Forms D, E or F of the Schedule with such variations as approved by the Land Officer as circumst-ances may require or such other forms as His Majesty in

Council may from time to time by rule prescribe together with the extract under which he claims, and the Land

Officer, if satisfied as to the transaction, shall register each transfer, charge, lease or sub-lease. Such instrument shall be witnessed by a Land Officer or magistrate or in a terri-tory outside Brun~i by a duly appointed magistrate, justice of the peace other equivalent judicial officer of such terri-tory and shall be authenticated by his seal of office unless no such seal attaches to such office:

Provided that a transfer, charge, lease or sub-lease of land to any person shall be. null and void and shall not be registered except with the prior approval in writing of His

Majesty in Council.

The proviso to subsection (1) shall not apply in the case of a lease or sub-lease of land granted for a term not exceeding or liable on the future exercise of any right or the future occurrence of any other event to exceed 7 years to a person who has not previously been entitled to any interest in such land or any part thereof, whether solely or jointly or in common with another person or other persons.

Land Code

His Majesty in Council may, to such extent and subject to such restrictions and conditions as he may think proper, delegate his powers under the proviso to subsection

to a committee of the Council of Ministers or to any public officer or body of public officers and reference in that proviso to His Majesty be construed accordingly.

11 24.

On production of sufficient evidence of the satisfac-Satisfaction tion of any charge the Land Officer shall record the same in of charge the Register.