Ministry deny knowledge of judgement debt

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture have denied having any idea of paying judgment debt to those involved in the Aveyime Cattle Ranch dispute.

This was after the Judgment Debt Commission said records revealed that Karl Michael and others claiming to be owners of the ranch were given $2 million, including an additional payment of $ 240,000, as compensation for the Aveyime Cattle Ranch.

Mr Seth Mensah Dumoga, the Director of Legal Service at MOFA, told the Commission on Tuesday that the Ministry, per its record, had not paid any compensation to the owners of the land for the Aveyime Cattle Ranch project.

He said when it was earlier reported in the media that compensation had been paid to the owners of the land for the cattle ranch project, the real owners thronged the Ministry’s office demanding to be given their share.

Mr Dumoga insisted the Ministry was not aware of any Karl Michael and others as being the owners of the land and had not paid any compensation to them.

He, therefore, appealed to the Commission to help the Ministry unravel the mystery surrounding the said payment and Justice Yaw Appau, the Sole Commissioner, answered in the affirmative.

Mr Dumoga also produced documents to the Commission over some ghost names that allegedly received judgement debt from the state as compensation for the Kpong Irrigation Project.

He told the Commission that the beneficiaries of the compensation were not ghosts as earlier reported but are true owners of the land that was used for the irrigation project and gave their names as the Dokutse Peteye and Atta Abla family.

Mr Kojo Awuah-Peasah, Director of External Resource Mobilisation at the Ministry of Finance, also appeared before the Commission to confirm payment made to Togbe Sakplika III and two others over the land acquired for the Accra Plains Agricultural Company.

He said the beneficiaries received GHC 1.4 million as compensation after waiving off the accumulated interest of GHC 200,000 due to delay in payment.

Mr Justice Yaw Appau, advised government to always budget for lands before acquiring them in order to prevent paying huge amounts of money as compensation as a result of default.

Mr Bentsi-Enchil, Chief Valuer at the Lands Commission, appeared before the Commission to confirm the valuation works carried out over the land for the Accra Plains Agricultural Company.

Mrs Stella Otema Badu, Chief State Attorney, also appeared to testify the legal process that the case went through and which led to the payment of judgment debt to Togbe Sakplika III and two others.

Mr Nashiru Yussif Issahaka, Counsel for Warrant Officer Agyei Boadi appeared before the Commission, and he explained that government is yet to pay the agreed compensation to his client who is now sick and bedridden.

This followed refusal by government to pay compensation to him after forcefully taking over his property that is being used by the Ghana Refugees Board.