Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is incensed about the helplessness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration as well as the Lands Commission over the demolition of the Bulgarian embassy in Accra.
A private developer is said to have demolished the building at Kakramadu Road, Plot No. 10, East Cantonments despite documents showing that the Bulgarian government has a lease of the land up to 2033.
According to the North Tongu MP, the developer in the escort of officers – said to be with the Cantonments Police Station – ejected staff of the Embassy and even assaulted the Honorary Consul, Nicolaas C.M. van Staalduinen, in his effort to restrain them.
The Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament said the action is a violation of the Vienna Convention of 1961 and has the tendency of blotting Ghana’s international reputation.
He has, therefore, vowed to take the matter up for a parliamentary probe for the right thing to be done.
More Read
“That notwithstanding, the NDC Caucus in Parliament shall be demanding a full public parliamentary probe into these bizarre circumstances with the view to identifying all the conspirators and bringing them to justice,” he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, March 15.
“We shall not allow the shadowy characters behind this hideous act to enjoy the comfort and security of anonymity; we shall smoke them and their collaborators out, and ensure that never again would a few greedy bandits damage our hitherto high diplomatic reputation.”
The opposition MP said “credible” and “verified” information point to “the fact that all these grave violations have been possible because of a ‘powerful man’ behind the invasion, demolishing, construction and purported takeover.
“I shall have him exposed in due course, save to add that those who consider themselves strategic allies of the Akufo-Addo presidency must reflect deeply on how their conduct will impact on the long term legacy of their most-favoured government.”
The lawmaker, however, commended the Minister of Lands and Natural Resource, Samuel Abu Jinapor, for “promising to take positive steps to halt the construction at the Bulgarian Embassy premises when I brought this to his attention yesterday”.
