Corruption Watch Ghana Petitions OSP Over Sir John’s Land Grab In Achimota Forest and Ramsar Site

A coalition of Anti-corruption civil society groups, Corruption Watch Ghana, has petitioned the office of the Special Prosecutor to probe the acquisition of the protected Achimota forest reserve lands by late former Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, alias Sir John.

In the petition, it listed Sir John’s shady acquisition as one of 10 specific issues relating to the alleged acquisition of state-protected lands.

The petition signed by the Technical Advisor to Corruption Watch Ghana, William Nyarko, said the alleged acquisition of state lands as captured in documents, indicates that Sir John is laying claims to lands in the Achimota Forest and the Ramsar site at Sakumono in the Greater Accra region.

Corruption Watch Ghana brought the petition under Section 1, Subsection 3 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) which mandates the Office of the Special Prosecutor to “investigate alleged or suspected cases of corruption or a corruption-related offence involving public officers, Politically Exposed Persons….”.

Apart from Sir John, the petition also names the three companies listed in Sir John’s will as facilitators of his acquisition of the protected state lands. The companies include Jakaypros Limited, Fasoh Limited, and DML Limited, as well as an officer of the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, as alleged owners or part owners of the said lands who should also be investigated.

It wants the SP to ascertain – whether the said lands were owned by the Republic of Ghana at the time of their alleged acquisition by Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Jakaypros Limited, Fasoh Limited, DML Limited and Charles Owusu; The circumstances of the alleged acquisition; The Beneficial Owners of the companies implicated in this transaction.

It listed the lands in question as A 5.541-acre land located in the Achimota Forest held in the name of Jakaypros Limited; A 0.987-acre land located in the Achimota Forest held in the name of Fasoh Limited; A piece of land located in the Achimota Forest jointly owned with one Charles Owusu; A piece of land held in the name of DML Limited located in the Achimota forest; and A 5.07- acre land located at the Ramsar area in Sakumono, Greater Accra

In respect of Sir John, it points out that he was “a public officer and a Politically Exposed Person within the meaning of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) when he served as the CEO of the Forestry Commission and singularly or jointly allegedly acquired the said lands with other natural and artificial persons during the period he was the CEO of the said Commission.”