Jake files writ to join case

The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, has filed a writ at the Supreme Court to join the case in which two deputy ministers have sued the Attorney-General, the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Registrar of Lands over a landed property in Accra.

In the substantive case, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information, and Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, the Deputy Minister of Environment, have taken action against the Attorney-General and two others to prevent them from selling an executive government bungalow in Accra to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey.

The two deputy ministers, then as members of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), took the action for the retention of No 2 Mungo Street at Ridge in Accra as a state property.

But in the suit filed at the Supreme Court, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey, acting by his lawyer, Mr R.O. Solomon, prayed the court for an order joining him as a defendant in the suit “and for such further other orders as the honourable court may think fit.”

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey contended that he was directly affected by the claim, though he had not been named as a party.

He further contended that he had been advised by his counsel that in the interest of justice, he should join the suit to enable him to make submissions relevant to the claim.

He recalled that in the application to amend the Attorney-General’s statement in the suit filed on December 11, 2009, and in a supplementary affidavit filed on December 30, 2009, the Attorney-General had alleged, in a shift of position, that the lease of the property in issue to Mr Obettsebi-Lamptey was illegal, as there had been no Cabinet approval for the policy under which the lease was made.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey, who attached a copy each of the application and supplementary affidavit to the suit, said the Attorney-General’s new position made it more imperative for him to join the suit.

Source: Daily Graphic