Demolition exercises likely to trigger judgment debts – Samson Lardy

Private legal practitioner Samson Lardy Ayenini has said although the ongoing efforts by city authorities to demolish structures on waterways is laudable, the action could trigger series of court suits against the State.

“Sure, it's refreshing that a filling station (any structure for that matter) put in waterways and said to belong to a politician has been pulled down. We should applaud a sustained campaign.

“But those structures were not supposed to be in those wrong places in the first place. Let's wait for the judgment debts to flow like Ghana paid $6m for flattening that hotel some time ago.

"When you don't enforce the law from the very start, you will saddle the taxpayer with needless judgment debts,” he wrote on his Facebook wall Tuesday.

The AMA and other assemblies in the capital are on a campaign to demolish structures on water ways following last week’s rain and fire disasters that claimed over 150 lives.

Today marks the second day of a 3-day national mourning exercise for the victims. The Ghana flag is also flying at half-mast throughout the mourning period.

The government has also started disbursing a Ghc50 million relief package earmarked for the victims.