A Report from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service has revealed that some officials of the Land Title Registry have been engaged in double registration of lands.
Findings of a police investigation into one of such cases revealed that acquisition of land certificate was tainted with irregularities.
This was brought to the fore when the police was petitioned to investigate the �matter of a Land Title certificate number GA 16211 obtained on Abbeyman lands by fraudulent means that is with the help of some officials of the Land Title Registry and in the matter of same being used to deceive the public in the instance of the Police, as well as some notorious �Land Guards� thereof.�
After investigations by the police, it was discovered that �the process through which Landline Properties Ltd was issued with Land Certificate number GA. 16211 was fraught with some irregularities.�
The report however, indicated that �no direct evidence was established to prefer any charge(s) against anybody� and thus advised the petitioner to �to go by civil action in respect of the subject Land Certificate.�
After investigations, the Police established that there were two different Land Certificates bearing the same number, GA 16211 which were issued by the Lands Registry on the same land raising questions as to �why two different Land Certificates with same registration number on the same piece of land? Why the difference in dimensions in the indenture, the attached site plan, the certificate itself and the cadastral plan.�
Also, the report indicated that �the Land Registry refused to make available to the police copies of the documents provided by Landline Properties Limited for the registration of the land to assist in the investigation.�
�When the Lands Registry was asked about the discrepancies, they indicated that the plan submitted by Landline Properties Limited was not accurate and that they had to request the survey division to prepare an accurate one to reflect the situation on the ground. However, the discrepancies still exist, as noted earlier on.�
According to the report, statements were obtained from Jacob Ahele Buabeng, Secretary Principal Elder of Abbeyman Family Stool, Nii Djanor Okine, Head of Abbeyman family and Nii Ga Kotey II, a principal member of the Abbeyman family.
These people, according to the police report, contended that their family owes a large track of land measuring over 2,000 acres adding that the said land was registered and plotted at the Lands Commission Secretariat with registration number A/C 11222/2012.
But when the family wanted to register the land at the Land Registration Division of the Lands Commission, they found out that part of their land measuring approximately 217 acres had been registered in the name of Landline Properties Limited, a company owned by Nana Odeneho Kyeremanten without their knowledge.
The report indicated that when the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Odeneho Kyeremanten was invited for questioning, he said his company acquired the said land from the Nii Oshiu Family of Oshuman and was supported by another who claimed to be the Head of the Nii Oshiu Family.
But, when the CID extended their investigations to the Lands Commission, it was detected that Land Certificate number GA 16211 was issued by the Chief Registrar of Lands on August 23, 2000 but that the certificate was uplifted on March 2, 2001, after the company had complied with the requirements and process of acquisition.
�Land Certificate number GA16211 was uplifted on 23rd March, 2001, but surprisingly the Cadastral plan attached to it is dated 9th June, 2009.�
Speaking at a press conference on the issue, the Abbeyman family said Mr. Kyeremanten with the aid of some police officers were terrorizing, intimidating and arresting peasant farmers at the disputed site and thus appealed to the Inspector General of Police to address the issue.
In addition, the family called on the Chief Justice to transfer their pending case at Land Court four to a fast track court for speedy adjudication.
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