Court of Appeal orders Lands Commission to delete registration records of 21st Century company, others

The Court of Appeal in Accra has ordered the Central Regional Lands Commission to delete the name of 21 Century Company from its records.

In September 2005, upon an application by the Chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh to the High Court in Cape Coast, the court issued an order of mandamus compelling the Lands Commission to register the land documents of the 21st Century Company and its sister companies, as well as documents given to their customers.

Following the failure of the Lands Commission to register the said lands, the chiefs filed a motion for contempt of court, and this culminated in the parties filing in court some terms of settlement.

The commission made a publication in the Daily Graphic on June 18, 2020 upon which the Lands Commission gave notice to delete land registration of the persons whose lands have been affected.

To the Chiefs, the 21 days notice expired but the commission made no effort to delete their names, hence the decision to take the matter back to court.

The court, presided over by Justice Poku-Acheampng, Justice Kyei Baffour and Justice Archer compelled the Lands Commission to delete the land registration on the portions of the lands at Gomoa Fetteh.

Addressing a news conference, the Twafohene of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council and Chief of Gomoa Fetteh, Nana Abor Atta II, revealed that in  the early 90s , the manager of 21st Century, Kofi Asmah, acquired 3,000 acres of Land from chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh for estate purposes  but the Lands Commission made a mistake and registered over 12,000 acres of land for the company without the knowledge of the chiefs.