La community takes La Pleasure Beach demolition fight to court as traders count losses
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The La community in Accra says it has begun preparing a lawsuit over the demolition of structures at La Pleasure Beach, arguing that the disputed beachfront cannot be handed to an investor while ownership remains unresolved.
The La community is preparing to take legal action over the demolition of structures at La Pleasure Beach in Accra, with its lawyer, Nsiah Akuetteh, insisting that the disputed land cannot be handed over to an investor without resolving questions surrounding ownership.
Mr Akuetteh said the legal team has begun preparations to challenge the demolition, which he describes as trespass, and would also contest any attempt to transfer the property to an investor. "We will go to court. Already we've started the preparation, because it's pure trespass," he said. "If they did it to give the land to any investor, we have already indicated that you cannot give what you don't have."
The demolition, carried out on Friday, October 2, affected more than 85 businesses and over 4,000 people, leaving operators facing losses and uncertainty over their livelihoods. The lawyer criticised the way it was executed, arguing that affected business owners and those claiming ownership of the premises should have been consulted before any redevelopment plans were pursued.
"You cannot use soldiers or land guards or anybody to take somebody's property for your business," Mr Akuetteh said, calling for engagement with the affected operators on their losses. "A wise thing to do would be to stop and engage the people whose things have been destroyed. Then you can talk and see the way forward."
Former Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon Vincent Sowah also called for the community's land rights to be recognised and linked the dispute to the acquisition of land for the Ghana International Trade Fair, for which he said no compensation had been paid. He cited the return of Patase lands in Kumasi to the Golden Stool as a precedent, arguing that "nobody will take an inch of La land and take it away or enjoy of it without our saying so."
The planned court action is expected to give the parties an avenue to present their claims, with questions still unresolved over who owns the beachfront, how it was acquired and what happens to the businesses displaced by the demolition.