The Minister of Interior, Henry Quartey, has denied allegations that operatives from the Vice President’s Office used national security operatives to destroy the fence wall surrounding the Ghana Prisons Service land.
On June 24, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Okudzeto Ablakwa, took to his social media page X (formerly Twitter) to allege that Professor Kwaku Appiah Addo had taken over land belonging to the Ghana Prisons Service.
Following stiff opposition from the prison authorities, Professor Adu filed a lawsuit claiming to be the rightful owner of the land.
Our fight against this vile takeover of our country will not get easier.
The information that many public officials are sharing with me is extremely frightening.
Senior Policy Adviser to Vice President Bawumia and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Professor Kwaku Appiah Addo… pic.twitter.com/1fgYFIcljD
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 24, 2024
Following stiff opposition from the prison authorities, Professor Adu claimed to be the rightful owner of the land and took the matter to court.
However, the Home Minister, speaking in Parliament on July 5, denied the allegations, claiming that the Ministry of Interior is yet to receive any formal notification regarding the demolition.
Quartey maintained that the professor was a man of great repute.
“The gentleman in question is a distinguished gentleman and the record shows that he was not working for the Vice President when this matter began. Mr. Speaker, the fact that one works for a politician does not restrict that person from pursuing private business.”
“In fact, there is no evidence that national security operatives were ever tasked with, or even contacted by, the same men for subversion, and thirdly, that is not something I am aware of,” Quartey added.
The Interior Minister described the harsh living conditions in Ghana prisons, where junior officers and their families often endure cramped spaces, sharing single rooms and sleeping in small spaces, which prompted his ministry to decide to redevelop the area after considering various proposals from developers.
“The Army has received proposals from developers to develop headquarters and barracks to address the housing issue of its officers for the past 20 years, but without success,” he said.
He added that the Ghana Prisons Service received a proposal from a developer to develop the garrison barracks in 2021.
“The proposals will meet the military’s expectations and provide one to three bedroom accommodation for 440 officers instead of the 330 currently housed in the barracks. The project will also see the construction of a new headquarters building and all other existing buildings will be redeveloped into modern facilities.”
He explained that the proposal had been accepted and approved by the prison service and the prison council.
But North Tongu MP Okudzetu Ablakwa raised doubts, saying: “This doesn’t seem like Santa Claus coming to do the prison a favour. What is he getting in return? A piece of land? If so, how big is it, how many acres? I want to know what the price is.”
In response, the Home Minister said the developer would receive land deeds for some of the land.
Ablakwa said a statement from the Lands Commission said the land was allocated to Professor Addo.
“So, same government, contradictory positions, Minister of Interior, Minister of Lands, what are you going to do to really resolve this issue and bring the Lands Commission into line with your ministry’s position so that we can protect the institute land that belongs to the Ghana Prisons Service?”
“This Professor Kweku Appiah Addo, a Senior Adviser to His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, has, according to documents I have in my possession from the Ghanaian Prisons Authority, gone to destroy the part of the fence that you told us about.”
“The fence you are constructing. Are you aware that he is allegedly leading national security operatives? The Ghanaian Prisons Authority is alleging that they are national security operatives and they are trying to destroy and take over parts of the fence. Are you aware of this development and what are you doing to support the Prisons Authority?”
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