The Lands Commission has refuted claims that the Speaker of Parliament’s residence was sold to a private developer.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, revealed that his residence in Accra was sold to a private developer while he was still living there.
Speaking at the Speaker’s Breakfast Forum in Accra on Monday, he said this only came to the fore when the developer went to the Lands Commission to register the land.
But the Lands Commission, in a statement, insisted that “at no point in time was the said property sold to a private developer by the Lands Commission.”
The commission said its records indicated that the land in question was acquired in 1920 by a Certificate of Title, dated 7th June 1920, for Government services.
“Since 2003, the land has always been used as the official residence of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament,” it added.
The Commission said that by an application dated 15th November 2022, numbered PS/LS/002/12/22, the Parliamentary Service applied for a Certificate of Allocation to regularize their occupation of the land, which measures approximately 1.66 acres.
“At its sixty-fourth (64th) Regular Meeting held on 22nd December 2022, the Regional Lands Commission approved the application, after all statutory processes, including planning approval from the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly, had been duly concluded.”
“On 14th February 2023, the Lands Commission made an offer of allocation to Parliamentary Service. Parliamentary Service accepted the offer, and after paying the requisite fees, a Certificate of Allocation, dated 28th April 2023 was issued to Parliamentary Service,” it added.
The Lands Commission, therefore, emphasized that it was unaware of any purported sale of the Speaker’s official residence to a private developer.
“The Commission wishes to reiterate its commitment to the prudent and efficient management of public lands in the national interest, and promote effective land administration that is anchored on the highest standards of integrity, transparency and candour,” it added.
