Re:TDC boss charged with contempt

The Tema Development Corporation (TDC) complains of a publication appearing in the centre spread of The Chronicle Newspaper dated on 20th February 2009 under the title “TDC Boss Charged with Contempt”.

The Kpone Traditional Council's version of the matter as published in your newspaper flies in the face of the true facts of the matter. They are a pack of lies calculated to bring the names of the Corporation and its Managing Director into disrepute and ridicule. This rejoinder seeks to set the records straight so as to redeem the image and the reputation of

TDC and the Managing Director which have been tarnished by the said publication.

THe Kpone Traditional Council's claim of an existing arrangement by which the TDC is required to release portions of the acquisition area to the Council from time to time is palpably false.

There has never been any such arrangement binding TDC. It was out of the magnanimity of the Managing Director that 259 acres of the Corporation's land were released to the Kpone traditional Council for allocation to the indigenes of Kpone upon pleas from the Council.

The Council conceded that TDC was under no legal obligation to release portions of the acquisition area to them. In appreciation of TDC's kind gesture, the Council through its members repeatedly showered lots of praises and thanks to the Managing Director through whose instrumentality the release was made possible. We are, therefore, amazed at the Council's claim of an existing arrangement entitling the Council to regular releases of land from the acquisition area.

It is also a complete falsehood that the Managing Director has refused to execute title deeds to the Council's allocates or stated that she would not execute the title deeds.

The preparation and execution of title deeds go through a lot of processes which take some time to finalize. The process has been initiated and as we write, we have issued site plans and offer letters to a number of the Council's allocates while the remaining applications are at various stages of processing.

The process of documentation of those allocations was at a point in time stalled as a result of an action instituted against the Kpone Traditional Council, TDC and two others in the High Court, Tema by three (3) persons claiming to be the Kingmakers of the Kpone Paramount Stool for a declaration of title to the land released to the Kpone Traditional Council.

TDC was advised to suspend documentation of those lands in view of the pendency of the suit.

In the circumstances we stated that the facts of the matter as represented in your publication are totally inaccurate. TDC is making efforts to finalize the documentation of the leases to the Council's allocatees which the Council is aware of.Consequently we request that you publish this rejoinder in the next issue of your newspaper in as prominent a position as the publication complained of.

Thank you KWABENA S-A NYANOR (SOLICITOR SECRETARY)