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Management of Empire Builders (Trasacco Valley) Limited has called on the Military to call off its officers who are preventing them from accessing their land.

According to their lawyer, Martin Kpebu the Supreme Court has already ruled on the case so anyone who has issues should refer to the ruling.

"Now you have brought in the military to the land to scare us...where is this done? you can't do this in a democracy? We plead with the Army Commander to intervene. The judgement is there for all to see...," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo'.

General Manager Trassaco Group, Kwame Owusu Danso said finality has been brought to the case so there should be no more misunderstanding.

"The soldiers must leave our lands...the shooting and confusion won't help anyone" he added.

Background

On June 24, 1999, Empire Builders took Top Kings Enterprise Limited (Top Kings) to court for trespassing on a 62-acre Empire had Title to.

In its judgment of June 11, 2003 the High Court, Coram: His Lordship Justice Brobbey JSC (as he then was) sitting as additional High Court Judge, held that Top Kings’ was to, and I quote, “keep the portion of the disputed land that are already in its possession.”

The parcel referred to by the learned judge was made up of 22 acres, eight (8) acres and 32 acres of land. The entire parcel of land granted to Top Kings per the High Court judgment totaled 62 acres and Top Kings was already in possession of that parcel of land and took steps to dispose of and develop into what is known as ‘Kings Cottage Estate’. The portion of land never fell within the master scheme that is currently Trasacco Valley.

The statement mentioned that the High Court also entered judgment for the Lands Commission (3rd Co-Defendant, acting on behalf of the Government of Ghana) in respect of 114 acres out of 456 acres of land Empire Builders was in possession of.

The Court further indicated that a portion of land within the 456 acres also belonged to the Government, which formed part of a large parcel of land acquired by the Government of Ghana for animal husbandry.

The Court made additional orders that Empire Builders was entitled to keep possession of the rest of the 456 acres not affected by the 62 acres for Top Kings or the Government of Ghana.

It added that Empire Builders appealed the High Court judgment to the Court of Appeal. In its judgment dated December 18, 2014, the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of the High Court decreeing possession to Top Kings over the 62 acres it was in occupation of.

The piece of land decreed in favour of the Government per the High Court judgment on June 11,  2003 which is the 114 acres formed part of the parcel of land released by the Government.

By a Lease dated August 12,  2010, the Government of Ghana released to the Nungua Stool 974.53 acres of land, a portion of which was used for Nungua Farms and Animal Husbandry.

The Nungua Stool, following the release mentioned earlier, subsequently transferred approximately 62 acres of the land to Empire Builders, for valuable consideration. The said 62 acres is separate and distinct from the 62 acres declared in favour of Topkings by the High Court. Additionally, the Government transferred 57 acres of the parcel decreed in its favour to Empire Builders thereby making Empire Builders the owners of that portion of land.