'Asaase Land Saga': Okudzeto Ablakwa replies Lands Commission

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reacted to a statement issued by the Lands Commission on the property housing New Patriotic Party stalwart, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko’s Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited, which he claimed was the subject of a legal battle between the government and the Judicial Service of Ghana.

The Lands Commission, in the said statement, which was issued on September 9, 2024, categorically refuted assertions that the property housing Asaase is No. 7, 5th Circular Road, Cantonments, listed in the suit of the Judicial Service.

The commission stated that its records show that Asaase has no interest in the said property, which is the subject matter of a Judicial Service suit.

“The land described as No. 7, 5th Circular Road, Cantonments, which is the subject matter of Suit No. LD/0526/2023 intituled Judicial Service of Ghana v The Lands Commission, Frimps Oil Company Ltd and the Attorney-General is separate and distinct from the land occupied by Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited at Cantonments. This land has never been owned or occupied by Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited.

“Following the commencement of the suit by the Judicial Service of Ghana, the Lands Commission, on July 19, 2023, applied for further and better particulars in respect of all the lands mentioned in the suit, and requested the site plans of the said lands. This is because the Commission accurately identifies land by the appropriate site plans, and not by house numbers," part of the Lands Commission statement read.

The commission also stated that the property currently housing Gabby’s media house is also on state land which was acquired in 1920 and subsequently assigned to Lilly Homes Limited.

Reacting to this in a post shared on Facebook, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa took a swipe at the Lands Commission over its statement.

He said that the statement by the commission implies that the Judicial Service does not know its properties and it went to court with “wrong, baseless and misleading facts when it stated that Number 7, 5th Circular at Cantonments where Asaase Radio operates from was once occupied by Justice F. G. Korbie.”

The MP also wondered why the government had not gone to court to challenge the Judicial Service over this issue.

“That despite these alleged grave errors and fundamental mistakes on the part of the Judicial Service of Ghana; the Lands Commission, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Works and Housing, Office of the Attorney General and Ministry for Justice, are not challenging the Judicial Service of Ghana in court but are rather engaging the Chief Justice and the Judicial Service of Ghana to settle the dispute amicably,” he added.

Ablakwa also slammed the Lands Commission for only responding to the property listed in the Judicial Service's suit that implicated Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.

He indicated that the commission conveniently ignored the other properties the Judicial Service indicated were sold by the government illegally.

“The Lands Commission deems it justifiable and appropriate to only defend the State Capture allegations against Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko’s Asaase Broadcasting (although it has done such an unconvincing job) while totally ignoring to their own fate, the over 15 other top politically exposed persons facing similar accusations within this same period. We hope it is not because the others are not accorded prime ministerial status,” he wrote.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakkwa also accused the commission of refusing to furnish the Parliament of Ghana with a report on the sale of public lands since 2022.

“I conclude with an anecdotal observation: we take judicial notice as parliamentarians that the same Lands Commission which has refused to provide Parliament with a report on the sale of public lands and the state of public lands in Ghana since we made the demand as far back in February 2022 suddenly appears able to marshal all efforts, exhibit apparent industry and even provide historical records in the defence of a single powerful politically exposed person,” he concluded.

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Background:

The North Tongu legislator, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, implicated the wife of Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko in his latest exposé as part of his crusade for public accountability.

Ablakwa had previously stated that the property housing Asaase Broadcasting Company (ABC) headquarters in Accra was unlawfully acquired from state property, claiming that said property is one of the properties of the Judicial Service of Ghana that the service said was illegally sold by the government.

However, his claims were dismissed by the management of Asaase Broadcasting Company (ABC).

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.

In response, Ablakwa has provided fresh revelations alleging affiliations of Lilly Homes Limited to Nana Adjoa Hackman, the wife of the director of Asaase Radio, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.

According to him, Nana Adjoa Hackman is the sole shareholder of Lilly Homes Limited and also a director at Asaase Radio, raising concerns of conflict of interest.

View Ablakwa’s post below:

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