The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has firmly denied claims that the government owes the Bulgarian Embassy GHS 5,383,000.00 for the demolition of its building in 2017.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, alleged that the government was liable for this payment due to a land dispute.
In a statement dated July 18, 2024, the Ministry refuted these allegations, describing them as false and baseless. The Ministry clarified that the land was not granted to the Bulgarian Embassy by the government, nor was the demolition conducted by government authorities. The government only intervened because the matter involved a Diplomatic Mission in Ghana.
“The attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been drawn to allegations by the Hon. Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, claiming that the Government is supposed to pay the Bulgarian Embassy an amount of Five Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 5,383,000.00) for demolishing their building,” the statement read.
“A cursory reading of the Executive Summary of the Report of the Sole Inquirer appointed to investigate the matter, published in a Press Release on 16th May 2022, and the documents attached to the Hon. Member’s post, will show that this allegation is false and without basis.”
The Ministry emphasized that the land in question was not granted to the Bulgarian Embassy by the government, and the demolition was not carried out by government authorities. The government intervened solely because it involved a Diplomatic Mission in Ghana.
The Ministry further clarified that the government is not liable for the payment of GHS 5,383,000.00, contrary to Ablakwa’s claim. “The Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission valued the unexpired term at Five Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 5,383,000.00). This amount is not to be paid by the Government, contrary to the claim by the Hon. Member of Parliament. In accordance with the recommendations of the Sole Inquirer, this amount is to be paid by Mr. Jojo Hagan. Due to the involvement of a Diplomatic Mission, however, the Government is still engaging the parties to ensure that the compensation is paid in accordance with the above recommendation.”
“It is, therefore, false for the Hon. Member of Parliament and/or any person to allege that the Government is required to pay this compensation to the Embassy. This claim can only be deliberate with the sole motive of misleading the public and causing disaffection for the Government, as the publicly established facts of this matter are well-known and easily discernible.”
The Bulgarian Embassy, located at Kakramadu Road, Plot No. 10, East Cantonments in Accra, was demolished by a private developer in 2017.
