A High Court in Ho in the Volta Region has advised the Attorney General (AG) to consider a meeting with the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) Land Owners Association, to discuss issues regarding their compensation package.
The directive follows a decision by owners of the lands hosting the university at Sokode near Ho, to take legal action against the government and the university, for delays in the payment of`their compensation.
[contextly_sidebar id=”uDMISEWvNUalceDwvWthtK0inN4cPwgA”]Government was on 8th January this year, hauled before court by the UHAS land owners to compel it to facilitate the payment of the compensation owed them.
But at the first hearing on Friday, the Presiding Judge at the Ho High Court A, asked the AG to meet up with the aggrieved land owners to consider an out of court settlement.
Speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Association, Benoni Kakraba Glalah, said even though they will consider the out of court settlement, they will not hesitate to return to court if the negotiation stalls.
“We were in court today [Friday], the judge after reading the charges said he wouldn’t like the case to be dragged on and thus requested the AG to sit us down so that we trash it out. Depending on the response from the AG, we might go back to the court for determination of the case.”
Government, through an Executive Instrument (EI), compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the Volta Region, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011.
Although the first phase of the construction of permanent structures on the land was completed last year, the landowners are yet to be compensated.
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By: King Norbert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana