McDan Dragged Before Tema High Court Over Mafia-Styled Land-Grabbing

The notorious business tycoon and owner of the McDan Shipping company limited, Dr. Daniel McKorley, has been sued at the High Court in Tema (Lands Division) for forcibly appropriating the land of another person.

He together with an alleged accomplice, Daniel Wussah, are accused of pulling down a house belonging to a man and leveling a parcel of land measuring 0.43 acres without any rightful claim to the land.

The plaintiff in the case, Victor Sosah wants the court to injunct the two Defendants, their representatives or assigns from continued encroachment on the land and also fine them for trespassing on his land.

According to the facts of the case, Victor Sosah is the owner of a parcel of land situated at Luhuese Ada in Ada East district covering an area of 0.43 acres.

He says he purchased land from David Steiner Otoo alias David Ayikwei Otoo in 2019. Ayikwei Otoo had earlier been granted the land by Nene Osabutey Anuer Okumo ll, a divisional chief of Ada Traditional Area and head of the Dangmebiawer Clan of Ada, Asafoatse Ngua Osrama IV and Nene Nene Osabutey Lanuer ll of Ada in 2001.

The transaction between David Steiner and the traditional leaders, he avers, is evidenced by an indenture dated 15th July 2001 which was stamped and registered as AR 4503/2003.

Plaintiff says since he purchased the land, he has been in peaceful possession of it and had built a two-bedroom house on it around which he had erected a fence wall. The building is duly covered by building permit number LUH/SEC/19/95 which was issued by the Ada East District Assembly.

However, the building permit was issued in the name of the grantor because he is yet to be issued with a transfer document.

In June 2020, Daniel Wusah reportedly came around the property to make claims he could not substantiate, the plaintiff averred. His claims were reported to the divisional chief and district Police command.

Meanwhile, Plaintiff is in court with his grantor over the contract of sale which was signed between them in January 2019. Even so, he was still in possession of the property until 14 March 2021 when he was informed that Daniel McKorley had instructed and ordered his workmen to pull down the building.

He avers that he reported the matter to the police at Ada and the operator of the track which was used for the demolition was arrested. He has since been bailed and that it was in his cautioned statement that McKorley was the one who ordered him to pull down the house.

Daniel McKorley has since refused to respond to the Police invitation, the Plaintiff in the matter stated. But even though investigations are still ongoing, the two defendants are on the land preparing it for construction. They have leveled the land and constructed a wall blocking access to the property.

Plaintiff says that he reported the matter to the traditional authorities of the area but the defendants have still not stopped their development of the land.

Whereof, he wants the court to issue a perpetual injunction against the defendants, assigns and agents and representatives along with compensation for the destruction of property, damage for trespass and costs including legal fees.

Also, he asks the court to award any other cost it deems fit.