The chiefs and people of La, a suburb of Accra have filed a writ in court seeking restraining orders against the Ghana@50 Secretariat from carrying out any further developments on the La Wireless lands.
The Secretariat is putting up accommodation apartments at La Wireless for heads of states and other dignitaries who will be in the country for next year’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
But the chiefs and people of the area have contested government’s decision to build the houses on their lands which government originally acquired for the building of a wireless telecommunications facility.
They are led in counsel by former Speaker of Parliament, the Honourable Peter Ala Adjetey, himself a son of the land and also a former Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party.
Last month youths in the area went to the project site and virtually chased out workers employed for constructional works.
Joy News checks have revealed that the writ was filed on Friday last week to stop the Ghana@50 Secretariat from going ahead with the project.
In the writ filed at the Fast Track High Court, the people of La said they wanted the land which was forcibly taken from them to be returned because government was no longer using it for the purpose for which it was originally acquired.
They said government took the land in 1957 and had never paid even a farthing for its use while the land keeps being transferred from one state institution to the other.
Originally taken over by government for the Post & Telecommunications’ Wireless Station and later passed on to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, the Ghana@50 Secretariat is currently to be its landlords in trust for the government.
The court writ refered to sections of the 1992 Constitution stating that such lands ought to be returned to the owners where government no longer found use for it as it originally planned.
After the youth chased out the construction workers, the placed a stop work sign at the site but this had failed to halt the progress of the project.
A visit to the site revealed that work on several of the buildings had advanced beyond the ground floor.
In an interview with Joy News at his chambers, Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey quoting sections of the law said government was required to give his clients the first option to repossess the land where they no longer found use for it.
He explained that his clients had been forced to take such an action because government had ignored numerous pleas by the La Stool for the project to be suspended whilst negotiations continued on the matter.
The former Speaker said the La people were aggrieved that government had shown bad faith in the matter.
Without question a stalwart in the country’s legal system, Peter Ala Adjetey could be openly stating his resentment with a government he has long been part of.
He however downplayed the suggestion saying that having been a lawyer for the La Stool since 1963, he could not have refused them representation in this instance.
The former Speaker said it was highly unlikely that he might be in court by virtue of his age, however, he would not rule out his presence in court if there was any complication.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana@50 Secretariat Dr. Charles Wereko Brobby confirmed receipt of the writ to Joy News and said the Attorney General was acting on it.
He however said there was not much time to the February deadline for the completion of the projects and expressed hope that the differences would be thrashed in a short while.
He said preparations for the celebration got off rather late and further complications such as confronts his office in the instant case could be disastrous.
