Citizen Eye Watch Ghana (CITEG) has petitioned the Attorney-General to investigate the alleged non-payment of court-ordered compensation in a protracted land dispute.
The case involves Mr. Kofi Ntim Manu, popularly known as Kofi Lee, and Mr. George Oti Bonsu, Founder and Leader of The Base Movement.
At a press conference in Accra, the President and Founder of CITEG, Mr. Alex Kwaku Tetteh, said the dispute relates to the alleged loss of 24 plots of land at Atomic in Accra in 2019, in a transaction reportedly valued at US$126,000.
Mr. Tetteh said CITEG is calling for an impartial probe into the enforcement of the judgment and the status of the compensation.
According to CITEG, Mr. Oti Bonsu allegedly stated during examination that he had sold fifteen of the disputed plots to Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a claim the organization says must be verified against official court and land records.
CITEG referenced a judgment made available to it, in which the court imposed a three-year custodial sentence on the respondent on count one and ordered payment to the appellant of an amount equivalent to twice the aggregate consideration of US$126,000 — amounting to US$252,000 or its equivalent in Ghana Cedis. The order further stated that failure to pay would attract an additional two-year custodial sentence.
The organization stated that court judgments must be represented and implemented in accordance with law, and that no individual, regardless of wealth, political influence or public standing, should be permitted to frustrate the enforcement of a judicial decision.
CITEG is therefore asking the relevant judicial authorities to clarify the current status of the sentence, the compensation order, any payments made, and whether the orders have been fully complied with.
According to information provided to CITEG by Mr. Ntim Manu, following the judgment, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong allegedly contacted him and apologized on behalf of Mr. Oti Bonsu.
Mr. Ntim Manu further alleged that Hon. Agyapong told him he had spoken with Justice Anin Yeboah concerning the judgment and that arrangements would be made for consideration of matters relating to Mr. Oti Bonsu. CITEG says these claims should be verified against official records.
CITEG added that Mr. Ntim Manu was allegedly instructed to send a representative to Parliament to receive payment, but the representative waited for hours and made repeated calls without response.
He subsequently received information that US$162,000 had been paid into a court account, leaving an alleged outstanding balance of US$90,000 against the total US$252,000 contemplated by the court order.
CITEG says it is essential that the court’s official payment records, bank records, source of payment and final disposition of the funds be examined.
“The central question remains: If the money was paid as compensation to Mr. Ntim Manu, why does he maintain that he has neither received the disputed land nor his money? This question deserves a clear, documented and impartial answer,” Mr. Tetteh said.
The organization is calling for an independent review of the payment documentation and full enforcement of the court’s orders.
Source: Dillysjoy
