Former Deputy Lands Minister Benito Owusu-Bio at the site of the disputed land
The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, of not being forthright with Ghanaians regarding the property of the Bulgarian Embassy that was demolished in 2022.
According to the MP, the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission has determined that the Bulgarian Government be compensated with an amount of GH¢5.3 million for the demolition, which is likely to increase because of the depreciation of the Ghana cedi.
Ablakwa, however, indicated that the compensation has not been paid because the person behind the demolition, who has been identified as Albert Jojo Hagan, is nowhere to be found.
He pointed out that if the 'demolition man' is not found the Bulgarian Government would force the government of Ghana to pay the GH¢5.3 million compensation.
“Intercepted documents which are duly attached, reveal that the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission has determined that the Bulgarian Government be compensated with a colossal amount of GH¢5,383,000.00.
“Insiders tell me that this GH¢5.3 million figure, which was arrived at last year, is likely to escalate significantly due to Ghana’s epileptic depreciating currency. The Ghanaian Government is still claiming that the mastermind of the demolition is on the run and cannot be found,” he wrote in a post shared on X on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
He added, “in the circumstances, and considering that the patience of the Bulgarians has run thin, deep throat sources inform me that the Government of Ghana will soon be compelled to pay the Bulgarians from our taxes since they claim they don’t know the whereabouts of the demolition man who was clearly indicted by the Sole Inquirer.”
The North Tongu legislator also pointed out that Dr. Yaw Adu Ampomah, an appointee of President Akufo-Addo, who is said to have bought the land from Jojo Hagan, also said he cannot find him (Jojo).
“Strangely, the appointee of President Akufo-Addo at NDPC, Dr. Yaw Adu Ampomah, who purportedly bought the land from the demolition man identified as Albert Jojo Hagan, also claims he cannot locate Jojo. Republic of wonders!
“State Capture does not only lead to international embarrassment and potential conflict with other countries, it also causes massive financial loss — imagine how many national challenges we can solve with GH¢5.3 million.”
About the Bulgarian Embassy Land Saga
A building belonging to the Bulgarian Embassy in Accra was razed down in 2022 by a private developer, alleged to be an appointee of President Akufo-Addo, who started developing a project on the land.
After public outcry and fears of a diplomatic spat, the government moved in and stopped the development of the project.
It appointed Justice Kwasi Anto Ofori-Atta, a retired High Court judge and one-time Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Lands Commission, as the Sole Inquirer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the true ownership of the parcel of land in dispute between the Bulgarian Embassy and the private developer.
The findings mentioned Jojo Hagan as the private developer and recommended that he should be sanctioned for not following due process in the eviction of the alleged trespassers and the demolition of the building and should be made to compensate the Bulgarian Embassy.
View Ablakwa’s post below:
RESPONSE TO MINISTER FOR LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES’ STATE CAPTURE DENIAL
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 17, 2024
My attention has been drawn to a statement from the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources in what appears to be a desperate effort at refuting the overwhelming and incontrovertible… pic.twitter.com/sRdXXtWwWH
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