The Lands Commission has to pay an administrative fine to a tune of GH¢100,000 to the Right to Information Commission (RIC) for failing to release information on returned state lands to pressure group, OccupyGhana.
Also, the RIC has instructed the Lands Commission to provide the said details to the pressure group.
The Executive Secretary is to provide among other things; a list of all public lands over which government’s ownership or control has been relinquished, and the names of the person to whom those lands have been released.
“The respective sizes and locations (suburbs, towns/cities and regions) of all such lands; The conditions of release, whether free, sale, lease or licence; If the land has been leased, the amount of rent paid or payable; and any other amounts paid or received by government, if any, for each such transaction”.
These pieces of information are to be provided not later than 14 days after receipt of the decision.
The pressure group sought after this information after reports that the government has retrieved lands that were encorached by some individuals.
OccupyGhana in its statement explained that they were compelled to seek RIC’s intervention in September last year after the Lands Commission told them that they would do so upon advise from the Attorney-General.
“For a while, we tolerated the risible excuses, starting with the 7 June 2022 demand for the details of ‘any personality’ within our organisation, to the 21 June 2022 blame of its own ‘manual’ systems.
“But when on 2 September, the Lands Commission finally claimed that it was waiting for the Attorney-General’s advice on whether the consent of the persons to whom the State lands had allegedly been transferred was required to provide the information, we were compelled to seek the RIC’s intervention,” OccupyGhana added in its statement.
Source: The Independent Ghana