Parliament lands saga: Residence of a clerk of parliament was sold in 2015, not 2019 – Lands minister clarifies

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has offered a clarification regarding the sale of the official residence of a clerk of parliament.

According to the minister, contrary to the information stated in the press release issued by the Parliament Service on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, the sale of the said residence occurred in 2015, during the John Dramani Mahama administration and not in 2019.

Jinapor, who made these remarks during the debate on the 2024 Budget in parliament, on November 23, 2023, said that his investigation into the matter, as the sector minister, indicates that the developer only took possession of the land in 2019.

He stated, “Not too long ago, it was said that the accommodation of the clerk of parliament was sold in 2019. Mr. Speaker, I want to submit to this house, the house of records that my checks at the Lands Commission suggest that the clerk of parliament’s accommodation or residence was sold in 2015 and not 2019. Mr. Speaker, the then Minister of Works and Housing gave an offer to a private developer in 2015.”

“A lease was granted to the developer in 2015. These records are unimpeachable. It happened in 2015 and not 2019. It just so happened that the developer, having bought the land in 2015, hadn’t been given an offer letter in 2015, and took possession in 2019,” Mr. Jinapor clarified.

What the Parliamentary Service said:

The Parliamentary Service commented on a statement issued by the Lands Commission of Ghana, regarding reports of the sale of the official residence of the Speaker of Parliament, Alan Bagbin.

In a statement issued by the Director of its Media Relations Department, on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, the service indicated that even though the Speaker of Parliament’s residence was not sold, the Land Commission has failed to address the issues raised by Alan Bagbin.

It said that the Speaker raised the issue of properties belonging to parliament being sold to private development including the official residence of the Clerk of Parliament which was sold in 2019.

"The Rt. Hon. Speaker did not say that the Speaker's official residence had been sold. What he said was that it was almost sold. The reactions by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Lands Commission so far have not tackled the subject matter of the alleged sale.

“A visit to the official residence of Rt. Hon. Speaker will unveil that almost all the surrounding buildings and accompanying parcels of land have been sold out to private developers. High-rise apartments have been constructed all around, leaving the Speaker's residence as an island and endangering the safety and security of the Rt. Hon. Speaker," parts of the statement read

It added, “A trip down memory lane reveals that sometime in 2019, the official accommodation of a sitting Clerk to Parliament located in Cantonments, was sold to a private developer. Other properties assigned to parliament have suffered similar fate”.

The service commended the decision by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to investigate the attempt to sell the Speaker's residences in order to establish who attempted to sell, and who the potential buyer was.



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