Only one claimant to Aveyime Cattle Ranch lands paid compensation
The Chief Valuer of the Land Valuation Division (LVD) of the Lands Commission, Mr Kwesi Bentsi-Enchill, yesterday told the Judgement Debt Commission that only one out of the 11 claimants to the land acquired for the Aveyime Cattle Ranch in the Volta Region was paid compensation by the state.
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The state acquired the land to operate a cattle ranch in the 1970s, but no compensation was paid to the owners because of conflict among the claimants.
Mr Bentsi-Enchill said it was only the CarMichael family, owners of the Battor Agriculture Industry Limited, who was paid $2.4 million compensation in 2009.
Conflict areas
Mr Bentsi Enchill said the LVD had begun valuing the other portions of the land, but had to abandon the valuation because of disagreements over ownership.
He told the commission that the LVD could only continue the valuation of the conflict areas of the land if a court gave a judgement in favour of any of the claimants or if they resolved their differences.
The Sole Commissioner, Mr Justice Yaw Apau, asked Mr Bentsi-Enchill whether some people had encroached on the land.
But Mr Bentsi-Enchill said he was not aware of any encroachment on the land.
Directive
The commission directed the LVD to furnish it with the list of the various claims being sought by the 10 claimants.
The Assistant Director at the banking department of the BoG, Mr Leslie Akrong, told the commission a month ago that per the letter from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, $2.4 million was meant for the CarMichael family and another $240,000 was to be paid to the solicitors of the family.