Officials Of Survey Dep't, Lands C'ssion Accused Of Corruption

Officials of the Survey Department and the Lands Commission in the Volta Region have been accused of corruption by citizens of the region. The people accused them of corrupt practices in land acquisition and documentation. The Regional Director of the Survey Department Mr. Michael Ayibonte has also been faulted by some land owners in the region. They claim he extorts money from them by charging inappropriate fees before registering land. An aggrieved land owner, named only as Rev. Prempeh told Joy News that documents meant for processing can be kept in the director’s office for two years without any justification. He said a job that should cost GH¢ 70 could actually cost residents GH¢ 200. “We Ho people want justice. This man has been extorting money from us too much. If he is taking money and issuing official receipt on it we don’t have any problem [because] we want the government to collect taxes and develops the nation”. Meanwhile the regional Survey Director has denied any wrong doing blaming the situation on unqualified surveyors practicing in the region. He said the appropriate fees were charged licensed surveyors who deal with the land owners. According to him, his outfit does not take money from land owners directly because it does not deal with individuals.