James Ebenezer Kobina Dadson, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, has been found guilty of contempt of court and has been ordered to pay a fine of GH¢ 200,000.
He has been given a 3-day deadline to pay the fine and must provide sureties.
The contempt charge stems from Dadson’s defiance of an injunction order issued by the Accra High Court regarding a piece of land in East Legon.
Michael Senyo Ahiayibor, a Ghanaian residing in Canada, took the Lands Commission to court over a 9-acre land he acquired between 2001 and 2004. Ahiayibor claims to possess land titles proving his ownership.
On January 16, 2023, the Lands Commission released a press statement declaring its intention to recover state lands unlawfully occupied by trespassers, including the disputed 9-acre land in East Legon.
A court injunction was subsequently issued, prohibiting both parties from engaging in any activities related to the land until the lawsuit was resolved.
Despite the injunction, the Lands Commission continued to send its officers to the land, supposedly in an effort to reclaim state lands.
Ahiayibor conducted a search at the Lands Commission and discovered that a lease had been issued to Tradewind Investment Limited on December 19, 2022, six months after the interlocutory injunction was granted on June 7, 2022.
This prompted Ahiayibor to pursue legal action.
Justice Kwame Gyamfi Osei of the Lands Division at the Accra High Court ruled in favor of Ahiayibor, imposing a fine of GH¢ 200,000 on the defendant, James Ebenezer Kobina Dadson, with sureties.
The disputed land is currently under development by Tradewind Investment Limited.
Below are additional photographs of the land in question.
