The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has urged the Judiciary to speed up the process of land-related cases.

According to him, expediting legal action to maintain the integrity of Ghana's public land is imperative.

Speaking at a press conference on August 14, 2024, he disclosed the government's dedication to protecting public lands, 3news.com reports.

The minister refuted allegations of state capture leveled against the government, stating that there is no data from the Lands Commission to support such claims. 

He added that all transactions carried out under Akufo-Addo's government are strictly by the country's land administration law.

"There is a question about selling public lands to public appointees. The rule of the game is evidence; if anybody has evidence that a public appointee has bought public lands and has done so in a manner that offends the code of ethics of public officers and that the person has put himself in a position of conflict of interest, why not? We will take a look at it," he stated.

“For myself, as a general rule, I do not think that public appointees should go anywhere near public lands. I think if you want lands to buy, go and look for lands in the private space, not public lands. Because of the very thing line of conflict of interest, it is very easy for you to cross that line, but if you have any evidence that any public officer has bought lands and he has done so inappropriately, we will be happy to look into that,” he added.

Abu Jinapor mentioned that there is no iota of truth in rumors suggesting that lands that belong to the judicial service were being sold by the current government. 

According to him, facts and data at the Lands Commission reveal that lands were sold under the Mahama administration in 2015 and 2016.

He described the allegation as “palpably falsehood.”

The MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleged that the Akufo-Addo administration sold lands belonging to key state institutions in the midst of allegations of state capture.

Reacting to the allegations, the Minister said, The allegation was that the judicial service land was sold under this Akufo-Addo government, and that is evidence of state capture, but when these allegations are made, my attitude is very simple: to put together the record and assemble the facts before we make any decision. 

“When the facts were assembled, it turned out that the lands were not sold by President Akufo-Addo. On the contrary, the land was sold under President Mahama in 2015 and 2016."

In response to the question about the government's plan to claim state lands, he said, “If they were not granted properly and we think that the grant is fraught with fraud or impropriety, why not? We will take steps to retrieve them. Always remember that when it comes to land acquisition when you have a lease or contract and it is governed by law, it is not that straightforward to cancel a lease or withdraw a lease, but if there is a need for it, we will take those steps." 

RAD/OGB 

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