The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has responded to claims made by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, stating that the Ministry had paid GH₵ 5,383,000.00 for demolishing the Bulgarian Embassy building.
The Ministry emphasized that the land in question was not granted to the Bulgarian Embassy by the Government, and neither was the demolition done by the Government.
The Ministry further stated that the Government of Ghana, however, intervened in the matter due to the involvement of a Diplomatic Mission in Ghana.
“The attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has, again, been drawn to allegations by the Hon. Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to the effect that the Government is supposed to pay the Bulgarian Embassy an amount of Five Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵ 5,383,000.00) for demolishing their building”.
“A cursory reading of the Executive Summary of the Report of the Sole Inquirer appointed to investigate the matter, which was published in a Press Release issued on 16th May 2022, and the documents attached to the Hon. Member’s post will show that this allegation is false, and without basis”.
Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources
Furthermore, the Ministry indicated that it would be recalled that, following news of the said demolition, the Minister of the sector, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, appointed Mr. Justice Kwasi Anto Ofori-Atta, a highly reputed retired Justice of the High Court, as a Sole Inquirer to investigate the matter and make recommendations to the Government.
The Ministry also indicated that the Sole Inquiry made a finding of fact that the land in question, originally a state land acquired in 1920 for public purposes, was granted to one Mr. Theophilus Kofi Leighton in 1977 for a term of 99 years, commencing from April 1, 1974.
The Ministry explained that the Sole Inquiry also made a finding of fact that Mr. Leighton leased the property to the Bulgarian Embassy through a private contract.
As such, the Ministry stated that, following the death of Mr. Leighton, however, the executor of his will, Mr. Jojo Hagan, caused the property on the land to be demolished, under a court order, before assigning the land to Dr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah.
Ministry Seeks Amicable Solution To Land Dispute
Moreover, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources indicated that the Sole Inquirer recommended, among other things, that, given the cases pending in court involving the land, the government should intervene to find an amicable solution to the matter.
The Ministry detailed that the Sole Inquirer further recommended that Mr. Jojo Hagan be sanctioned and be required to compensate the Bulgarian Embassy.
“Pursuant to this recommendation, the Hon. Minister constituted a three-member Committee made up of officials from the Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and the Lands Commission to find an amicable solution to the impasse. The Committee determined that the amount of compensation to be paid to the Embassy should be the unexpired term of their lease”.
“Based on the above, the Ministry wrote to the Lands Commission to value the unexpired term of the lease. The Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission valued the unexpired term at Five Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵ 5,383,000.00)”.
Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources
As such, the Ministry stated that this amount, GH₵ 5,383,000.00, is not to be paid by the government, contrary to the claim made by the Honorable Member of Parliament.
The Ministry further clarified that, following the recommendations of the Sole Inquirer, this amount is to be paid by Mr. Jojo Hagan.
The Ministry noted that, due to the involvement of a diplomatic mission, however, the government is still engaging with the parties to ensure that the compensation is paid following the aforementioned recommendation.
As such, the Ministry of Lands stressed that it is, therefore, false for the Honorable Member of Parliament and/or any person to allege that the government is required to pay this compensation to the embassy.
“This claim can only be deliberate with the sole motive of misleading the public, and causing disaffection for the Government, as the publicly established facts of this matter are well-known and easily discernible”.
Accordingly, the Ministry pledged that, consistent with its approach to all matters, the government will maintain the highest level of transparency, integrity, and accountability in handling this issue.
The Ministry assured the public of its transparency in these matters, releasing the Executive Summary of the Sole Inquirer’s 149-page report through a Press Release, demonstrating its commitment to openness and accountability.
The Ministry thus pledged to continue dealing with these matters, as with all other matters relating to the country’s lands and natural resources, in a spirit of transparency, candor, integrity, and utmost good faith.
