The Deputy Minister for Finance, Dr John Ampontuah Kumah, has denied news circulating on social media that he has illegally taken over a parcel of land in his constituency.
In a statement issued in Accra yesterday, Dr Kumah said the land in question was gifted to him by his family chief for developmental purposes.
The following is the full statement; I have taken notice of a viral video where a woman accuses me of taking over lands that do not belong to me.
I would like to refute these baseless claims and set the record straight, regarding the true events surrounding the acquisition and use of the said land.
As many of you are aware, during my campaign to become the MP for Ejisu, I made a solemn promise to the people that I would establish an asphaltic plant to address the road deficiencies in the constituency.
To realize this vision and create job opportunities, the ‘EJISU Club 100’ was established to collaborate with Sogood Engineering and Construction Company to undertake this project, among several others.
In the pursuit of fulfilling this commitment, I approached my family chief, Nana Kofi Agyei, for a piece of land for the construction of the asphaltic plant.
Nana Kofi Agyei gifted me the land in the presence of other family members, after the Aseda custom were done.
The intention behind this gift was never for personal gain, but to help uplift the community and improve the lives of its residents through job creation and enhanced infrastructure.
The progress of the asphaltic plant construction, which has reached an impressive 90% completion stage, stands as a testament to my unwavering dedication to fulfilling the promises made to my constituents during my campaign.
Regrettably, it has come to my attention that a few members of the family are expressing discontent over the gift of the land by the family chief. A land they have no claim to.
I acknowledge their right to have differing opinion but strongly oppose their unwarranted insults and attacks directed at me and wrongly claiming that I have forcefully taken over their lands.
In a response to the claims, I have already taken the necessary steps by reporting the matter to the Ejisu Police Service for the arrest of the individuals involved.
I have also notified the family chief about the very distasteful actions of the individuals involved, for the necessary customary actions to be taken against them.
As is evident in the video, there are no private houses built on the land but rather heavy duty vehicles and quarters for workers working on the asphaltic plant, as well as equipment for the asphaltic plants among several others.
It is very disheartening that in my quest to address a major challenge in the constituency, I have rather been attacked and vilified for an act I have not taken.
I would like to urge the public to disregard the content of the video and I admonish the media against further spreading its defamatory content or face legal action.
