Speakers Residence Not Sold

The Lands Commission has denied media reports that the official residence of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Bagbin, at Cantonments in Accra was nearly sold to a private developer.

The Speaker made the claim at a forum he organized at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Monday, as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of parliamentary democracy.

But the Lands Commission, in a statement signed by its Ag. Executive Secretary, Benjamin Arthur, said the claim by Speaker Bagbin is unfounded.

“The Lands Commission has become aware of reports in a section of the media suggesting that the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliamentrsquo;s official residence at Cantonments has been sold to a private developer. The Commission wishes to state emphatically that, at no point in time was the said property sold to a private developer by the Lands Commission,” the statement stressed.

According to the statement, records available to the Commission indicate that the land in question was acquired in 1920 by a Certificate of Title, dated June 7, 1920 for government services.

“Since 2003, the land has always been used as the official residence of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament. By an application dated November 15, 2022, and numbered PS/LS/002/12/22, Parliamentary Service applied for a Certificate of Allocation to regularise their occupation of the land, which measures approximately 1.66 acres,” the statement noted.

“At its sixty-fourth (64) Regular Meeting held on December 22, 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,” it said.

According to the statement, on February 14, 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 April 28, 2023 was issued to Parliamentary Service,” the statement indicated.

“The Lands Commission is, therefore, unaware of any purported sale of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliamentrsquo;s official residence to a private developer. The Commission wishes to reiterate its commitment to the prudent and effective 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,” the statement concluded.