Donald Trump’s biggest opponent was last night under investigation amid claims he has broken strict planning rules by selling property to his mother.
Aberdeenshire Council said its officials are looking into the deal which saw Michael Forbes part with the mobile home next to his Mill of Menie property this summer.
Molly Forbes paid her son thousands of pounds for a small plot of land and the chalet she lives in, which is called Paradise.
But last night it emerged there is a planning condition attached to the property banning its sale.
If the council confirms there has been a breach, it will have to take enforcement action – with the ultimate sanction being the demolition of the chalet.
Last night Mr Forbes said he was not aware of having broken any rules and that he had given the land to his mother to make sure she was protected if billionaire Mr Trump or the council force them from their homes.
Mill of Menie is one of four properties Mr Trump has been allowed to add to his £750million plans for a golf resort – despite the owners refusing to sell.
They fear compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) will be used to remove them from their homes.
Last night Mr Trump described Mrs Forbes’s chalet as “disgusting” and called for it to be demolished if the rules have been flouted.
“Mrs Forbes should be allowed to move in with her son and live out her life in dignity,” he said.
“The trailer should be removed immediately from the site as it’s an eyesore and an environmental hazard.”
According to the Registers of Scotland, where all land sales must be declared, Mrs Forbes bought her chalet from her son on June 1.
Official documents show she paid £9,000 for the property and the surrounding one-fifth of an acre.
But the planning consent which allows the chalet to be sited next to Mr Forbes’s home has a strict condition which states that it “shall not at any time be sold, let out or otherwise occupied as a separate dwelling house”.
Last night the council confirmed it was investigating whether the permission granted to the Forbes family had been breached.
“We were not aware of the potential breach but now that it has been brought to our attention we will investigate,” a spokeswoman said.
“There is a formal process we are required to go through to determine whether there is, indeed, a breach of the conditions. This process will take a few weeks.” Mr Forbes said he only sold the land to protect his mother from the CPO threat hanging over them.
“I’ll just have to take it back again – that is not a problem,” he said last night.
“I sold it because of the threat of CPOs, otherwise she would be left with nothing.”
He added: “They (the council) will use CPOs – they are not giving a damn about the Scottish people.”
Mr Forbes said the council has not yet contacted him.
It is understood that if he is found to have breached the condition, it would make his planning consent for the property null and void – regardless of whether he buys it back or not.
Enforcement officers would first advise him of the breach and local councillors on the Formartine area committee would have to vote on what action to take.
It is the second threat hanging over Mrs Forbes’s home.
She recently abandoned a Court of Session claim that Mr Trump’s plans to create the “world’s greatest golf course” at the Menie Estate were not properly considered by Aberdeenshire Council.
But a judge ruled that she must pay both the businessman’s and the council’s five-figure legal costs.
Her lawyers said she could not afford to pay and raised fears that both the council and Mr Trump could have her declared bankrupt and force the sale of her home.
Mrs Forbes has declined to talk about the threat. A hearing will be held in January at the Court of Session.
