An almost year old litigation over a 1000-acre land, belonging to SINO Africa Company Limited, a subsidiary of Jospong Group of Companies, is inflicting serious financial loss to the organization.
Though, the land which falls within the demarcation of Appolonia, has been leased for 75 years and registered at the lands commission to SINO Africa Company LTD, real estate companies like Delimawue and Multicity Real Estate as well as other individuals are also laying claim to portions of the land.
Delimawue Real Estate and the Chiefs of Gbetsile, a nearby town which shares boundary with the said land have already taken the matter to the Tema High Court for adjudication.
However, even before the court would rule on the case, the fence wall over the land has been pulled down on two occasions, the last being last week Thursday, officials of SINO Africa said.
Explaining the company’s ordeal to the press in Tema on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, Gabriel Forceby, Operations Manager for Sino Africa Company Limited, intimated that their acquisition was proper and legitimate.
He explained the ‘unfortunate’ incident was impeding their work as they had planned to build 1st class top rated A, houses which could be afforded by both lower and middle income earners.
According to him, a thorough research at Lands Commission realized the Appolonia Chiefs as the real owners of the land in question and thus all other organization claiming to own portions were deliberately scuttling SINO’s investment and hindering their work progress.
He noted that if the people who claim to own portions of the lands did due diligence before acquiring the land, there would not be a dispute.
“Though we bought the land from the right owners, we have met the Gbetsile chiefs and all parties involved in the dispute and agreed that in the event that the court rules that they own portions of the lands, we shall compensate them”, he hinted.
The operations Manager stressed that what disheartens him is the fact that people are making damaging and disparaging remarks about SINO in the media, seeking to portray them as an insensitive and inconsiderate to the people.
“We have stated that we do not take interest in taken over lands which do not belong to us”, he added.
Addressing a news conference at a separate location to sympathize with SINO Africa to “set the record straight” on matters arising, Nii Tettey Iddrisu Mansro, Chief of Appolonia admitted that they (the accredited grantors of the land) released the said acres to SINO Africa.
The chief, flanked by his other kingmakers stated that the area released to the company does not fall within the jurisdiction of Gbestile as there have been a “very visible point called Nogotsoato” created years ago.
Describing all other claimants of the land as encroachers he posited that “we would also like to send a word of caution to those who are illegally encroaching on the lands and wish to state that legal actions shall be instituted against any individual or group of persons who continue to unlawfully encroach on the property”.
While sympathizing with SINO Africa Company Limited, Nii Tettey Iddrisu Mansro admonished prospective buyers of lands especially within appolonia to endeavor to do the necessary search at the Lands Commission before paying money to anyone who poses to be a land owner.
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