According to information released by the Lands Commission, the Speaker of Parliament’s official residence was attempted to be sold in 2015 during the previous administration of John Dramani Mahama.
The property in question was given to a private developer eight years ago as part of the Accra Properties Redevelopment Scheme, according to the Commission’s records.
In response to the controversies surrounding the purported attempt to sell the Speaker’s official residence, the Lands Commission provided this clarification.
In a statement, Surv. Benjamin Arthur, Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, expressed gratitude for the Speaker’s and the Parliamentary Service’s interest in public land management.
He did, however, clarify that the Commission’s release on November 20, 2023, was a response to media reports implying the Commission was involved in the Speaker’s official residence sale rather than a direct response to the Rt. Hon. Speaker’s remarks.
Arthur claims that the aforementioned land has been public property since 1920 and that the Lands Commission is the only body with the power to grant, sell, or lease such property.
“At no point in time had the Commission, directly or indirectly, sold or attempted to sell the official residence of the Rt. Hon. Speaker.”
“We have, in accordance with our constitutional duty, executed a Certificate of Allocation in favour of the Parliamentary Service to regularize its interest in the property,” the statement said.
The Lands Commission disclosed that it became aware of the purported attempt to sell through news reports and regretted that neither the Parliamentary Service nor the Rt. Hon. Speaker had brought the issue to their attention prior to it becoming a topic of public discussion.
In 2003, the Speaker’s official residence was declared as such. Previous to that, the Speaker’s home and the Cantonments Residential Area were designated for redevelopment between 1995 and 2015, which resulted in grants to private developers and the subsequent creation of additional interests.
The Speaker, Parliament, and the Parliamentary Service were reassured by the Commission that they are prepared to work together to find solutions for any problems pertaining to properties of interest, especially the purported attempt to sell the Speaker’s official residence.
