The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has expressed support for the Judicial Service in their legal battle against the Lands Commission over a parcel of land in Cantonments, Accra. The lawmaker believes that the Judicial Service possesses sufficient documentation to claim full ownership of the land in question.
The Judicial Service is in court with the Lands Commission over the Number 7, 5th Circular Road property in Cantonments, where Asaase Radio currently operates. The service alleges that the property was taken from them in an “arm-twisting manner.”
Mr. Ablakwa, whose recent focus has been on the illegal capture of state lands, argued that “the Lands Commission wants us to believe that the Judicial Service of Ghana does not possess accurate information on bungalows occupied by its judges.”
“The Judicial Service of Ghana went to court with wrong, baseless and misleading facts when it stated that Number 7, 5th Circular at Cantonments where Asaase Radio operates from was once occupied by Justice F. G. Korbie?” he asked rhetorically.
In a Facebook post, the former deputy Minister for Education criticized the Lands Commission saying “the site plans allegedly provided by the Judicial Service of Ghana to the Lands Commission on Number 7, 5th Circular Road, Cantonments supposedly led the Lands Commission to a different location, however, the Lands Commission is unable to attach the site plan in issue to its statement.”
He added that amidst “these alleged grave errors and fundamental mistakes on the part of the Judicial Service of Ghana; the Lands Commission, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Works and Housing, Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry for Justice are not challenging the Judicial Service of Ghana in court but are rather engaging the Chief Justice and the Judicial Service of Ghana to settle the dispute amicably.”
“The Lands Commission deems it justifiable and appropriate to only defend the state capture allegations against Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko’s Asaase Broadcasting (although it has done such an unconvincing job) while totally ignoring to their own fate, the over 15 other top politically exposed persons facing similar accusations within this same period. We hope it is not because the others are not accorded prime ministerial status.
“We take judicial notice as parliamentarians that the same Lands Commission which has refused to provide Parliament with a report on the sale of public lands and the state of public lands in Ghana since we made the demand as far back in February 2022 suddenly appears able to marshal all efforts, exhibit apparent industry and even provide historical records in the defense of a single powerful politically exposed person,” he argued.
