There is no state capture of public lands - Abu Jinapor

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Abu Jinapor, has refuted allegations of wanton dissipation of public lands.

According to him, there was no state capture of public lands as alleged by some individuals.

He made this known during a press conference in Accra on Wednesday on the state of public lands.

While admitting that the sale of public lands in itself was not illegal as such lands could be used by the private sector to promote development, Mr Jinapor said it was not right for public officials to acquire public lands due to the issue of conflict of interest.

He, therefore, dared critics who had evidence of any public official acquiring land under his tenure in a manner that abused the code of conducts of the public service, to come forward for appropriate action to be taken.

“The rule of the game is evidence, if anyone has any evidence that a public appointee has bought public lands and has done so in a manner that offends the code of ethics of public officers, the person has put him/herself in the position of conflict of interests. Why not, we will take a look at it," he said.

"For me, as a general rule, I do not think that public or government appointees should go anywhere near public lands. If you want land to buy you go to a private space,” he said.