Parliament clerk’s residence was not sold in 2019 – Lands Minister clarifies

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has disclosed that the residence of the clerk of Parliament was not sold in 2015.

According to him, contrary to news reports, the residence was sold in 2015 under the erstwhile John Mahama administration.

During the debate on the 2024 budget, Mr Jinapor disclosed that his investigation into the matter, as the sector minister, indicated that the developer only took possession of the land in 2019, not in 2015 as initially claimed by Parliament.

He stated, “Not too long ago, it was said that the accommodation of the Clerk of Parliament was sold in 2019. Mr. Speaker, I want to submit to this House, the House of Records, that my checks at the Lands Commission suggest that the Clerk of Parliament's accommodation or residence was sold in 2015 and not 2019. Mr. Speaker, the then Minister of Works and Housing gave an offer to a private developer in 2015.

“A lease was granted to the developer in 2015. These records are unimpeachable. It happened in 2015 and not 2019. It just so happened that the developer, having bought the land in 2015, hadn't been given an offer letter in 2015, and took possession in 2019,” Mr. Jinapor clarified.

According to a statement from the Parliamentary Service, the official accommodation of a sitting Clerk of Parliament in Cantonments was purportedly sold in 2019 to a private developer, along with other properties assigned to Parliament.

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