'New king, new law' inapplicable in land sales, stop harassing landowners — Justice Osei-Tutu tells Chiefs

Without mincing words, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Alexander Osei-Tutu, has asked traditional rulers to cease harassing lawful landowners in the 'name of new king new law'.

According to the land expert judge, the common phenomenon where a chief orders transactions into existing sold land after ascending the throne should stop.

“Our chiefs must refrain from harassing people who have bought lands," he stated.

According to Daily Graphics' report, Justice Osei-Tutu explained that such practices by chiefs had been proscribed by Section 183 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), which further extended to heads of families and clans.

Section 183 of Act 1036 stipulates that: “a change of a person authorised to make a grant of a stool or skin, or clan, or family land shall not affect the grant of a stool, skin, clan or family land made by that person prior to the change”.

Justice Osei-Tutu made this known when he delivered a lecture at a training programme for lawyers of the National House of Chiefs and the various regional houses of chiefs. The lecture was on the topic: “Chiefs and Customary Land Administration: Legal and Fiduciary Duties.”

The two-day training programme was organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the Judicial Training Institute and the Institute of Local Government Studies.

Other facilitators at the training programme included Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court; Justices Gabriel Pwamang, Kweku T. Ackaah Boafo, Philip Bright Mensah, all Justices of the Supreme Court; and Justice Eric Kyei Baffour of the Court of Appeal.