Land Compensation Claims Hitting Government Like a Tsunami — Attorney-General

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has raised alarm over the growing surge in land compensation claims against the state, describing the situation as a “tsunami” that is putting immense financial pressure on government.

According to Dr Ayine, land compensation cases alone are running into billions of Ghana cedis, posing a major headache for the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney-General’s Department.He made this known during a working visit by Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to the Ministry on Wednesday.

“Your Excellency, those [land compensation cases] are becoming a big headache for me as the Minister of Justice. In fact, there is, for want of a better word, a tsunami of land compensation cases that are hitting the courts against the Republic, and the figures are mind-blowing,” Dr Ayine stated.

He disclosed that some of the claims being pursued against the state amount to as much as GH¢500 million, with many claimants relying on historical documents to argue that compensation for land acquired during the colonial era was never paid.

“The claimants mostly would go and dust documents from the archives and claim that the colonial government did not pay compensation for land. They then take the government to court, and for some reason, they keep waiting all the way to the Supreme Court,” he explained.

Dr Ayine said a rough assessment conducted by the Ministry suggests that the cumulative value of these claims could run into several billions of Ghana cedis, a development he described as deeply worrying.

As a result, he said he has directed the Solicitor-General to prepare a comprehensive briefing for President John Dramani Mahama on what he termed the “land compensation tsunami” facing the state.

Touching on the constitutional mandate of his office, Dr Ayine noted that the Attorney-General’s Department is responsible for handling all civil matters for and against the Republic, as well as instituting prosecutions on behalf of the state.

“We have a responsibility to the state as our only client to defend the interests of the state as much as possible,” he said.

He added that the Civil Division of the Department provides legal advice to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including local government bodies and the Presidency, and also represents the government in arbitration proceedings.

Currently, he revealed, Ghana is facing ten international arbitration cases, most of which are against the government.

“We inherited about nine of them when we came into office. One was just filed last year against the government of Ghana by a company known as Blue Boat,” Dr Ayine said, stressing that although the present administration bears technical responsibility, the actions that triggered the disputes occurred before it assumed office.

Dr Ayine, however, expressed concern about the state of the Civil Division, describing it as a critical arm of the Department that is gradually becoming “more or less extinct,” a situation he suggested requires urgent attention.

 

 

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