The Paramount Chief of Krachi, Nana Mprah Besemuna III, has denied claims that he collected money for flooded lands with respect to the Volta basin.

“Point of correction my Lord, it is not true that I collected money for any inundated area but that I collected money on behalf of Nana Asitina Mensah who died in June, 2014,” he told the Judgement Debt Commission.

His response was in reaction to the Counsel for the Commission Mr Kofi Dometi Sokpo, who sought to explain why the Commission had invited him.

But Krachiwura, who is also the President of the Krachi Traditional Area, said he only took money on behalf of the late chief Nana Mensh who made application for the claim dating back to the 1974/75 thereabout.

He explained that the money was paid in cheque in five tranches. The first tranche was GH? 37,973.00; the second amount received was GH? 205, 515.52 while the third stood at GH? 205,157.00.

He added that the fourth tranche was GH? 458,275.23 and the fifth one amounted to GH? 685,360.23, bringing the total to GH? 1,441,352.20.

However, an amount of GH? 34,111.30 was refunded.

Krachiwura told the Commission that the late Nana Asitina also know in private life as B.K. Mensh felt that the Volta River Authority was not treating the family owning the land well and in 1962 made claim for compensation.

He said the effort made by Nana Asitina to seek compensation claims for the affected family was hailed by the community and he became a champion in the area, which earned him a parliamentary seat.

The chief also dispelled the idea that compensation claims started in 2005 saying: “It is not as if suddenly people started making compensation claims in 2005, it was started by my predecessor and I only collected the money on his behalf.”