Court grants estate developer, three land guards bail over unlawful protection of land

An Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah has granted James Okine, an estate developer and three others bail in the sum of GH¢250,000 with eight sureties for conspiracy to commit crime and unlawful protection of land.

Mr Okine’s bail is GH¢100,000, with two sureties who are to be public servants earning not less than GH¢2,000 monthly.

The other accused persons, Abubakar Issah, unemployed, Kamach Yeboah and Ali Amadu, both caterpillar operators, are on GH¢50,000 bail with two sureties each.

They all pleaded not guilty.
Okine's plea was taken on Tuesday January 17, 2023, since he could not attend court on the first day the case was called.

The case was adjourned to February 6, 2023, for continuation.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong told the court that the complainant was Godrich Ardey, a businessman, who resided at Katamanso, while the accused persons were residents of Zenu-Ashaiman, Teiman and Oyibi respectively.

It said two other persons, Stephen Okutu Kofi, alias Kofi Santos, and Benjamin Djanker, aka Asaa, who should be standing trial with the accused persons were at large.

The prosecution said on January 3, 2023, the complainant reported to the police that his family owned 1.625.474 acres of land at Katamanso with a land title certificate covering the said land.

It said in addition to the land title certificate, the complainant also had a Power of Attorney from his family to back his claims.

The prosecution said police investigation had revealed that the complainant's family had the land in possession for several decades.

It said the complainant's family had also leased portions of the land to some estate companies who had built estate houses on the land without any challenges.

It said Okine, the owner of Greenlake Estate, had allegedly recruited land guards on the land, who protected him and his workers, while they were unlawfully grading the land to commence development.

The prosecution told the court that on January 5, 2023, the police visited the scene with the complainant and found Yeboah and Amadu using pay loader machine to grade the complainant's family land under the protection of one Issah, Okutu and Djanker.

It said Yeboah and Amadu were arrested and during investigation, Okine followed up and he was also arrested for investigation, charged and put before Court, while efforts were being made to arrest the two other suspects.

GNA