The Lands Commission has clarified that the property located at No. 7, 5th Circular Road in Cantonments has never been owned or occupied by Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited. 

This statement comes in response to recent allegations made by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, who claimed that the property was unlawfully acquired as state property.

In his allegations, Mr Ablakwa suggested that the property had been wrongfully taken, sparking public debate.

However, the Lands Commission, in a statement released on Tuesday, September 10, refuted these claims and stated that Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited has no connection to the property in question.

The Commission further clarified that there is no ongoing court dispute involving the land currently occupied by Asaase Broadcasting Company. 

This statement was issued to address any misconceptions surrounding the ownership of the property and to provide transparency on the matter.

“The land described as No. 7, 5th Circular Road, Cantonments, which is the subject matter of Suit No. LD/0526/2023 intituled Judicial Service of Ghana v The Lands Commission, Frimps Oil Company Ltd and the Attorney-General is separate and distinct from the land occupied by Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited at Cantonments. This land has never been owned or occupied by Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited.”

“Following the commencement of the Suit by the Judicial Service of Ghana, the Lands Commission, on 19th July 2023, applied for further and better particulars in respect of all the lands mentioned in the suit, and requested for the site plans of the said lands. This is because the Commission accurately identifies land by the appropriate site plans, and not by house numbers," an excerpt of the statement said.

The Lands Commission also clarified that site plans submitted by the Judicial Service of Ghana indicate that the property at No. 7, 5th Circular Road, Cantonments, was part of public land acquired for government services. The property was last occupied by Justice F. G. Korbieh and is covered by a Certificate of Title dated June 7, 1920.

According to the Commission, the land in question has long been designated for public use, as established by the 1920 acquisition. 

“The land was subsequently developed into Government bungalows managed by the Ministry of Works and Housing, and allocated to staff of the public services as and when the need arises. Pursuant to an in-filling scheme undertaken by the Lands Commission, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the then Town and Country Planning Department (now Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority), at Cantonments and North Ridge Residential Areas in the early 2000s, the land which originally had only one bungalow was divided into four (4) parcels of land in order to increase the number of houses on the land.”

“The Commission’s records indicate the following transactions in respect of the four (4) parcels of land: a. Parcel 1: Lease dated 6th August, 2015, between the President of the Republic of Ghana (as Lessor) and Litty Mart Enterprise (as Lessee) for a term of fifty (50) years; b. Parcel 2: Lease dated 17th May, 2011, between the President of the Republic of Ghana (as Lessor) and Kwabena Kuffour (as Lessee) for a term of fifty (50) years. By a Deed of Assignment made on 12th April, 2021, Kwabena Kuffour assigned his unexpired interest to Frederick Hermann Hesse-Tetteh; c. Parcel 3: Lease dated 15th May, 2012, between the President of the Republic of Ghana (as Lessor) and Silvercord Estates Limited (as Lessee) for a term of fifty (50) years. By a Deed of Surrender dated 10th February, 2021, Silvercord Estates Limited surrendered its interest in the land to the Republic and the land was leased to Hercules Capital Limited by a Lease dated 2nd February, 2021; and d. Parcel 4: No recorded transaction,” it further stated.