The assets of late Forestry Commission Chief Executive Officer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, widely known as Sir John, have been frozen by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The decision comes after the OSP said that it has begun an inquiry into the Forestry Commission boss’s leaked will, which revealed that sections of the Achimota forest holdings were transferred to certain specified individuals.
Details of the will have aroused debate among members of the public, with the Ministry of Holdings claiming that the Lands Commission lacks evidence proving that the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, aka Sir John, possessed sections of Achimota Forest lands.
In a statement made on May 24, Lands Minister [Samuel Abu Jinapor] ordered that the lands listed as belonging to the late Forestry Commission chairman be declared invalid.
“…Given the totality of the circumstances surrounding the alleged allegations, I, as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, have directed the Lands and Forestry Commissions to declare any ownership of lands in the Achimota Forest and the Sakumono Ramsar Site by the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie void and to take the necessary actions.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, if proven, the bequeathing of the aforementioned properties would not transmit any interest/title to the designated beneficiaries in the claimed will.” “These properties, the subject of the claimed Will, will remain Public Lands, regardless of whether they are within the de-gazetted lands according to E.I 144,” the statement stated in part.
Meanwhile, the OSP’s recent step is expected to affect the late Sir John’s bank accounts and other assets until the investigations are completed.
