I did not grab state land – Kufuor clears air

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has denied claims he is a beneficiary of state lands as reported by a section of the media.

The spokesperson for the former President, Mr Frank Agyekum said there was no point in time he bought a state land or was in the process of acquiring one.

Mr John Agyekum Kufuor was named among 415 past government officials and institutions who were beneficiaries of the distribution of cheap state lands in a recent report.

According to information making the rounds, the former president bought a plot of 0.58 acre of land.

President Kufuor prior to 2008 had been accused by the then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of selling state lands cheaply to his cronies.

The minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amawu, has equated the latest land purchase to “kelewele”.

However, Mr Frank Agyekum stated that Mr J A Kufuor was supposed to have received his retirement benefit including a house and an office.

“The reality is that, the former president should have been given a house and an office as his retirement benefit, but the government was only able to present him the office. It was just in recent times the government gave him his office. The government said they will not be able to build him a house so that is why he was given a land. He is supposed to live there”. The spokesperson said, “The former president didn’t buy the land, it was given to him by the state, he added.

Notwithstanding this fact, the Mr Peter Amawu has said investigations are underway to get the root of the matter.