Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Lands and Forestry, has received reports on Terms of Reference 1 and 2 from the Sole Inquirer, who was tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the true ownership of some parcel of land in dispute between the Bulgarian Embassy and a private developer.
Hon. Benito extended his gratitude to the Sole Inquirer after receiving the report, noting that the Ministry, along with the Lands Commission and other stakeholders involved in the land matter, will review the findings and make the contents available as soon as possible.
He hoped that, given the Sole Inquirer’s experience, the results of the reports presented would be a valuable asset in guiding proceedings concerning the Bulgarian Embassy Land Case.
The Deputy Minister spelled out the Sole Inquirer’s Terms of Reference, adding that due to the urgency of the issue involving the Bulgarian Embassy, the Minister gave the Sole Inquirer an ultimatum of seven (7) days to present a Report on his Terms of Reference (1) and (2), but that due to the voluminous nature of the work, the Sole Inquirer requested an extension, which was granted by the Sector Minister for the time being.
The sole inquirer, according to Hon. Benito, still has some time left in the one (1) month he has been allowed to provide a comprehensive Report on Terms of Reference (3) to the Commission (5).
He also informed the public that the Ministry will study the report’s suggestions and offer suitable orders for further implementation.
On his part, the Sole Inquirer, Justice Retired Kwasi Anto Ofori-Atta, said he began his investigation on March 21, 2022, with the support of the Ministry and Lands Commission, with letters sent out to various entities and professional bodies involved in the case to source information that would aid his investigation.
In response to these letters, 11 witnesses testified in the case, and several had to be summoned back for re-examination, all in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation.
According to his Terms of Reference, the current report contains findings and recommendations for Terms of Reference (1) and (2), which he hopes will help the Ministry make a judgment on the issue.
In his statement, Justice Retired Ofori-Atta, a retired Justice of the High Court and a former Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Lands Commission, thanked Government and the Minister for their confidence in him and requested continued support to provide reports on the other three terms of reference.
On Friday, March 18th, 2022, the Sole Inquirer was established to investigate the facts surrounding the true ownership of a block of land in dispute between the Bulgarian Embassy and a private developer, with the following terms of reference:
1. Conduct a thorough and unbiased investigation into the alleged encroachment and/or demolition of property on the Bulgarian Embassy’s property.
2. Make acceptable recommendations about the Bulgarian Embassy’s location.
3.Look into the nature of any stake in land held or occupied by diplomatic missions in Ghana.
4. Inquire into any land-related matter in which Ghanaian diplomatic missions have an interest.
5. Make suggestions to the government.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
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