General News of Sunday, 18 October 2009

Source: GNA

Cabinet to receive memo on sales of government bungalows

Sunyani, Oct. 18, GNA - The Ministers of Lands and Forestry and Water Resources, Works and Housing have jointly prepared a memorandum (memo) to be submitted to Cabinet soon.

This is to enable government to take a decision on the sale of state bungalows and lands in recent times, generating public furore. Mr Albert Abongo, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, disclosed these in an interview with GNA in Sunyani. He said the memo followed an investigation into the disposal of state buildings and lands and allocation of such estate to private entities and the value paid by these beneficiaries.

Mr Abongo said the decision to submit the list of beneficiaries to Cabinet was due to the delicate nature of the cases, which will require Cabinet deliberation on how to proceed in view of public interest in the matter.

Additionally, the memo will enable government legal team to study the implication of some of the sales and what could be done to retrieve state property in which there was doubt about the value offered and the manner of disposal.

Mr Abongo said he would not disclose the content of the memo until Cabinet decided on what action to take adding that the appropriate position of government on the matter will be communicated to the public soon. Mr Abongo said a manifest of who got what and the manner in which the assets were disposed have all been listed in a dossier awaiting government direction. There had been public furore about the sale of government bungalows and lands by the previous government. 18 Oct 09