State coffers must be protected - Justice Apau

The Sole Commissioner of the Judgment Debt Commission, Justice Yaw Appau has stressed the need for the protection of state coffers, following the unnecessary payment of judgment debts by the state.

He said the state has lost huge sums of money which could have been used for development and likened the situation to a “leaking basket”.

It was a worrying situation which is really ruining the state in this time of economic hardship, he added. Justice Appau said this when the Rector of the Koforidua Polytechnic, Professor Renus Okai, appeared before the Judgment Debt Commission to brief it on the compensation paid to some owners of the 78.41 acre land, which the institution occupies, in the Eastern Region.

According to the Rector, an amount of GH¢2 98, 000 had already been paid to two owners out of the five claimants from the Akuapim South Municipality.

He added that, out of the numerous claimants within that acquisition, five people initially came forward, but later only two followed up without the other three, so the two were subsequently paid a compensation of GH¢298,000.

Prof Okai said after the payment of the compensation to the owners, the state made a proper acquisition covered by EI54, in which the New Juabeng Municipal Assembly and the Akuapim South District Assembly are the beneficiaries. The two Assemblies are now the rightful owners of the Koforidua Polytechnic land.

He said the land now belongs to the state, and although the GH¢298,000 had been paid to the two owners, nobody would be able to come for any claim from the Polytechnic and in respect of that, they have also written to the two Assemblies on the happenings to caution them to exempt from further payment of compensation on the land.

The Lead Counsel for the Commission, Dometi Kofi Sorpkor, in an overview said, the two claimants were Ms. Comfort Aboagye and Estates of Tina, but the latter died before the payment, so her representative, Aaron Yeboah, claimed the amount on her behalf.

He added that both claimants have been subpoenaed by the Commission to appear on April 28, 2014, and to assist in the enquiry into the matter.

The Chief Land Valuer, Bentil Enchil of Lands Commission Department, was supposed to appear before the commission yesterday, but brought a letter to explain the reason for their inability to appear.

He prayed the commission to adjourn the case to April 28, 2014, and was granted same. Sitting continues today at the Constitutional Review Office Adjacent American Embassy in Cantonment,