Gov't To Seize Kufuor’s *Ex-Gratia* Lands

By Larry-Alans Dogbey

The Land Commission has said that its plans are advanced to get back the juicy state lands at Denyame, a Kumasi suburb, from ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor, his Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani, ex-Lands Commission boss Alhaji Ibrahim Baryeh and others including ex-Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. S. K. Boafo and his two brothers who instructed the Commission’s officials to give them the plots on protocol basis.

Persons like the NPP Member of Parliament for Menhyia, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh; ex-Deputy Minister of Housing Cecilia Dapaah; ex-AGI President Tony Oteng-Gyasi, and others who have already put the land into construction, according to the Land Commission Chairman, Nana Adjei Ampofo, would have to cough up hundreds of millions, if they still want to keep the plots.

Ex-officials of the Lands Commission, including the past Executive Secretary, Alhaji Hamidu Ibrahim Baryeh, have told the Disciplinary Committee of the commission during a probe that they were under strict instruction from the Castle, during the Kufuor presidency, to allot the plots to ex-President Kufuor in particular, as part of his end-of-service benefit (ex-gratia).

Insiders have told The Herald that it was on the Denyame state land that the ex-president wanted to put up his second retirement home outside Accra, as pointed out in the much-criticized “Mary Chinery Hesse ex gratia report” which talked about building two houses for the ex-president-one in Accra and the other outside Accra at a place of his choice.

The ex-Lands Commission officers who were reported to have appeared before the Disciplinary Committee, and made the shockingly disclosures include Owusu-Poku and Yaw Kwarteng, Ashanti Regional Lands Officer and deputy, respectively and the ex-Ashanti Regional Lands Commission Chairman, Kwame Boafo, a brother of Mr. S.K. Boafo.

Nana Adjei Ampofo disclosed to The Herald that the four officers revealed how they also got their share of the land for their personal use and that they were further ordered to give out the rest of land to ex-government appointees and cronies on protocol, hence the ridiculous ¢10 million paid as gratis for a land at the time priced over ¢200 million.

Meanwhile, the Lands Commission Chairman has told The Herald that the Mills administration has been boxed into a tight corner over the recovery of the state lands.

Nana Adjei Ampofo who intends holding a press conference on the looted state land matter this coming Friday, to explain some pertinent decisions which have the approval of President Mills himself, maintains that although the government wants to reverse the acquisition, particularly those bordering on illegality, it is unable to mobilize the needed funds to pay back monies collected and spent by the Kufuor regime.

The Herald last week broke the story of the Denyame-Kumasi lands and how Mr. Kufuor and some others who served in his administration used the Asantehene’s name to misappropriate pricy state land in Kumasi, near the official residence of the Ashanti Regional Minister, for their private use.

The shocking thing is that the lands were sold for as low as ¢10 million, per plot, to the personalities, and within days, some of them were busily selling them out at a whopping ¢950 million while others had priced theirs for as high as US$500,000, for sale.

Impeccable sources close to Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who bears Barima Kwaku Dua as his maiden name has admitted that he was given the land but disclosed to officials of the Lands Commission that Otumfuo never requested for it, and that till date, the Asantehene has no idea who paid for the land on his behalf.

Insiders are of the opinion that the Asantehene’s name was used to give a cover of legitimacy to the illegal acquisition of the land, and to seal his mouth against talking about it. He is said to be ready to give back the land, for state use.

Ex-President Kufuor grabbed as many as six plots, while Otumfuo Osei Tutu was given a paltry two plots.

Apart from ex-President Kufuor, his ex-Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpian and Mr. S.K. Boafo, other prominent persons on the list of beneficiaries of the loot are the ex-Ashanti Regional Minister and Mr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, ex-Mayor of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, and Patricia Appiagye.

Prior to the ridiculous sale which started somewhere in 2004 and lasted till 2008, the lowest selling price for the smallest plot at Danyame-Kumasi, was pegged at ¢200 million. Even the land in question was not meant for sale at the time. However, the Kufuor-led administration forcibly had it put on sale under a scheme titled Kumasi Re-Development Scheme, and got sold to its officials with Ashanti descent.

Also on the list are Mr. Anthony Oteng Gyasi, ex-President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), owner and Managing Director of Tropical Cable and Conductor Limited (TCCL); the MP for Bantama and ex-Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Work and Housing, Cecilia Dapaah.

Others whose name appeared on the list are Nana Kwabena Oduro, Adwoa Birago, Prof. Yaw Safo and Kwame Agyarpong Boafo, all brothers of Mr. S. K. Boafo, Charles Osei, Baffour Owusu Asare Amankwatia, Kwaku Frimpong, Dr. Joyce Dontwi, Anthony Gambrah, Akwasi Banahene, K Owusu-Akyaw, Nana Kwame Kyeretwie, Johnson Asiedu, Mr. and Mrs. Oduro-Kwarteng, Osei Assiebey, Kofi Dua-Adonteng, Stephen Mensah Opoku Agyemang and Charity Osei.