Former Mampong MCE and Eight Others Remanded Over Unmet GH¢800,000 Bail

Nine individuals, including former Asokore Mampong Municipal Chief Executive Alidu Seidu, remain in police custody after failing to satisfy bail conditions imposed by the High Court in Kumasi in connection with an alleged land fraud case involving public property at Buobai in the Asokore Mampong Municipality.

The court granted each accused person bail in the sum of GH¢800,000 with three sureties, who must justify the bail with landed property. However, all nine have been unable to meet the stipulated conditions and therefore remain in custody.

Charges and Allegations

The accused persons face 12 charges, including conspiracy to falsify land records, falsification of land records, fraudulent breach of trust, abetment of crime, conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful occupation of public land, and possession of forged documents.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly conspired to unlawfully sell a 10.54-acre portion of a 19.06-acre parcel of land acquired in 1999 by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly for public use.

The land had originally been earmarked for a septage disposal and treatment facility following the closure of the Kumasi landfill site at Ahenema Kokoben. However, after opposition from sections of the Buobai community led to the suspension of the project, portions of the land were allegedly re-demarcated and sold.

Land Reallocation and Alleged Irregularities

In 2014, a committee established by the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly recommended that nine acres of the land be reallocated to affected occupants on humanitarian grounds. The remaining 10.06 acres were reserved for public use, specifically for the construction of a hospital, under a revised local plan dated December 2014 and deposited with the Lands Commission.

Investigations suggest that between June 2020 and January 2021, the land’s designated use was allegedly altered from hospital to residential without lawful authorization. Prosecutors contend that, following the revision, 34 plots within the area reserved for the hospital were allocated to five businessmen. Some of these plots were reportedly developed, while others were resold.

One of the accused is said to have presented a letter dated 20 September 2000, claiming that the land had reverted to the stool. However, verification checks at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly allegedly confirmed that the letter was not authentic.

Bench Warrants and Adjournment

Two other suspects—the Kenyasehene and the Odikro of Buobai—failed to appear before the court, prompting the issuance of bench warrants for their arrest.

The complainant in the case is the current Municipal Chief Executive, Ben Abdallah Alhassan. The case has been adjourned to 12 March 2026 for further proceedings.