Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Former Volta Regional Minister Kwasi Owusu-Yeboah yesterday appeared before the Judgement Debt
Commission to testify in the case in which he was said to have led some people
to collect huge sums as compensation in Volta Basin Flooded Area.
He admitted before Sole-Commissioner Justice Justice
Yaw Apau investigating the payment of judgement debts that he collected a
whooping GH¢11,258,286.78 as compensation on behalf of Nana Kwame Asante II,
Paramount Chief of Tapa Traditional in the Biakoye District of Volta Region who
he had represented in the claim as counsel.
GH¢138million
Cabinet in July 2008 approved a consolidated amount
of compensation totaling GH¢138million for various stools/families in Pai,
Apaaso, Makango, Ahmandi and Kete Krachi Traditional Areas and about 57 groups
were said to have benefited from the amount.
Records at the commission revealed that GH¢71million
has been paid so far to the various claimants and the disbursement of the remaining
GH¢67million has been put on hold to enable the government deal with
discrepancies in the payments.
Judge
shocked
Justice Apau has already expressed shock at how the
Lands Commission proceeded to order the release of the various amounts to the
claimants based on the documents the witnesses have been tendering before the
commission.
Furthermore, the Court of Appeal judge said he did
not understand why communities that were resettled by the government in the
1960s, given communal lands and paid compensation for crops destroyed by the
Volta River floods could turn around to claim cash compensation almost 50 years
down the line.
Majority of the witnesses since told the commission
that one Nana Asetena Mensah, a leader in the communities in Krachi, was the man
who had commissioned Kwadwo Ababio & Co, a consultant and surveyors to
survey the submerged area out of which the individual plotting were done.
Minister’s
testimony
Mr. Owusu-Yeboah told the commission that he was
approached by the Tapahene in Abotoase in 2005 to chase the compensation for
the family and added that apart from a composite plan he got, there were other
site plans by individuals and because most of them were in conflict, he advised
them to sort themselves out before leading them.
He claimed that on January 31, 2007, the constituent
clans gave him a formal notice to pursue the matter and said the composite plan
was endorsed on July 25, 1975.
“It was prepared after the flooding and just after
the compulsory acquisition of the Volta Basin lands by the government. The
acquisitions were covered by E.I. 98 of 1974 and E.I. 67 of 1975 respectively,”
he said.
Hohoe
North East
He tendered in evidence a survey map covering the
area called Hohoe North East prepared in 1933 where he claimed his client’s
land lied.
“The land was not the exclusive claim of the
Tapahene. It belonged to the Aynam Royal Family,” the minister said.
He admitted that the communities that were affected
by the floods were resettled at the Tapa Abotoase Resettlement Site covered by
E.I. 13 of 1971 and added that the resettlement lands were vested in the
government.
He said at a point they had to reduce their acreage
‘pro rata’ from about 220,000 acres to 170,000 acres for other communities and
said his clients did not engage the services of Kojo Abban & Co who were
the surveyors.
He said they were to be paid GH¢23million but
received about half of the amount and when the Kojo Abban was paid 10 percent
of their amount they sued in court to get it back.
Kachienke
Clan
Nana Kwaku Beyenor II, Odikro of Kachienke Clan in
the Chonke Traditional Area of Dambai also testified and said his family filed for
21,140.09 acres but records showed that the site plan was in his name as well
as two others.
He confirmed that he collected GH¢1.118,048.54 but
the commission said the Lands Commission put the amount collected GH¢1.118,109.60
adding that the government never compensated his family but it was through the
effort of Nana Asetena Mensah and Kwadwo Ababio & Co that they received the
amount.
Choboea
Clan
Johannes Koomson who was said to be indidposed was
represented by his son Titus Kofi Koomson and he told the commission that the land
belonged to the Choboea Clan but the site plan was in the name of his father.
He said his community was never resettled by the
government and his father collected an amount of GH¢1.381,518.61 although the
Lands Commission’s records indicated the witness took home GH¢1.351,488.61.
He said they used the money for the construction of
nurse’s quarters, hired four teachers for their basic school, built a palace
among others.
Abrokornor
Odefo & Borae
Nana Yaw Donkoh II, Odikro of Abrokornor who also
represented Odefo and Borae took his turn and said he collected GH¢87,163.84 in
tranches even though the Lands Commission’s documents indicated GH¢127,948.81
was paid to him.
He also said his family never received any
government compensation even though the documents are in his name as the
claimant.
Nana Kwame Collector of Akaniem was said to be
indisposed and could not make an appearance.
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