Gov’t takes back Sir John’s forest …no one will inherit it

If ongoing investigations by the Government of Ghana confirms that the former Chief Executive  of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie  mostly known as Sir John,  bequeathed  some five acres plus portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve to his children and members of his family, the said lands in question would be taken back and reversed to the State as public lands, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor noted in an official statement issued yesterday in Accra.

What is believed to be a leaked copy of Sir John’s will reveal that the late Government Official did not only own a portion of the Forest Reserve but also owned a portion of the Sakumono Ramsar Site.

According to the supposed will, Sir John did not register the said properties in his personal and official  name but in the names of private companies that apparently belonged to him.

Mr. Jinapor, in  the statement issued, noted further: “Preliminary inquiries reveal that the alleged will in question is a subject matter of litigation/contestation in the courts.

“Further checks at the Lands and the Forestry Commissions, the repositories of the records of the lands in question, show no record of ownership of Lands at, the Achimota Forest or the Sakumono Ramsar Site, by the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie.

“That said, given the totality of the circumstances of the said allegations, I, as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, have directed the Lands and Forestry Commissions to deem any ownership of lands, both, in the Achimota Forest and the Sakumono Ramsar Site by the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie as void and are to take the appropriate actions accordingly.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the bequeathing of the aforesaid lands, if established, will not pass any interest/title to the named beneficiaries in the alleged Will. These lands, the subject matter of the alleged Will, shall remain Public Lands, whether or not it falls within the de-gazetted lands pursuant to E.  144”, the statement added.

The late Sir John’s supposed will has sparked public anger with several groups calling for investigations into circumstances under which he owned a portion of the Forest Reserve and the Ramser Site, both strictly public lands not meant for private individuals.

More Revelations.

The alarming news was exclusively put out as an investigative piece  by Manasseh Azure’s ‘The Fourth Estate’, a   public interest and accountability investigative journalism firm.

Manasseh revealed further yesterday that his checks proved that Sir John did not declare his asset before he took office as Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission in March 2017 and failed to do same when he was in office until he died of COVID-19 related complications in July 2020.

If this is true, it would be in contravention of Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution and Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification).

The report stated further that when Sir John was in office he seems to have acquired  for himself several landed properties including a house on plot number GA54480 located in Ogbojo, East Legon, dated February 12, 2018, a second  house on plot number GA 55329 located at Oyarifa No. 2, dated May 11, 2018 , a third house on plot number GA 55475 located at Oyarifa No.1, dated September 27, 2017, a fourth house on plot number GA 5881 located at Adjiringanor, Accra, (white House), dated August 7, 2019 and a 4-bedroom house on plot number GA56838 located in East Legon and dated October 25, 2018.

The will said Sir John owned 13 houses in Accra and Kumasi, several parcels of land, luxury vehicles and multiple bank accounts.

The will has become a subject of court litigation.