Ablakwa's claims are false and misleading – ABC refutes claims of unlawful property acquisition

The management of Asaase Broadcasting Company (ABC) has denied claims made by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that its headquarters was unlawfully acquired from state property.

Ablakwa stated that the property housing the media house is one of the properties of the Judicial Service of Ghana that the service claims was illegally sold by the government.

“The Asaase Radio building in issue is Number 7, 5th Circular Road, located in Cantonments. According to court documents, the Judicial Service of Ghana insists that the sale of Number 7, 5th Circular Road in Cantonments, which was last occupied by Justice F. G. Korbie, is unconstitutional and unlawful,” the MP earlier wrote.

However, in a statement dated September 2, 2024, Asaase Broadcasting Company Ltd. refuted Ablakwa's claims as "false and misleading," stating that the property was lawfully acquired by Lilly Homes Limited through legitimate means.

The company explained that the land was initially purchased by Fosuaba Mensah Banahene in 2006 as undeveloped land and was later developed.

“The property was acquired by Fosuaba Mensah Banahene under a lease dated 18 July 2006. The property was bought as bare land and subsequently developed by Banahene,” the statement read.

It further stated that Lilly Homes legally obtained the property through an assignment of interest from Banahene, with the necessary consent from the Lands Commission dated July 15, 2020.

The company emphasised that the property has been lawfully held without any legal issues, and claims that Justice F G Korbie or any other public official had resided at the address in question were baseless.

“The record on the property currently occupied by Asaase does not support Ablakwa’s assertion, which specifically claimed that the building was occupied by Justice Kordieh,” the media house pointed.

“A neighbouring state bungalow was occupied by a senior female civil servant in 2006, while the adjacent property, previously state-owned, was occupied by Rev. Canon Ing. William Hutton-Mensah, a former managing director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG),

“It appears that the target of Ablakwa’s attack is the chairman of Asaase Radio, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, over a property that was leased to a third party who has no relationship with Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko over 18 years ago,” the statement concluded.

Asaase Broadcasting Company Ltd has since urged Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to refrain from making further unsubstantiated and defamatory claims against the company.

"We urge Ablakwa to stop making baseless defamatory claims against Asaase Radio. His haste in spreading such unverified claims goes against the principles of truth and integrity," it concluded.

SSD/MA

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