The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu and the newly appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has conceitedly opened the Pandora’s box on his plush Airport Hills residence, inviting further probe into the acquisition of that home.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for vetting about two weeks ago, Mr. Ablakwa, claimed he had been renting the Airport Hills residence for the past eight years.
Curiously, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Bernard Ahiafor disallowed further inquiries into Ablakwa’s tenancy when the Ranking Member of the Committee, Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin asked the nominee to produce his tenancy agreement.
But just a week ago, Mr. Ablakwa in letter dated 3rd February, 2025 and addressed to Finali Limited, managers of Airport Hills, requested for confirmation of his residential status at plot no. 565. No.1 Wilshire Boulevard, Airport Hills, Accra.
“I am by this letter granting consent to Finali Limited, the managers of Airport Hills to provide information to the Appointments Committee stating my residential status.
“In the spirit of full disclosure, kindly be at liberty to also indicate the owner of the property in issue with the hope that the owner shall consent, the size of the land and policy on rental,” Mr. Ablakwa requested in the letter.
Finali Limited’s response
Responding to Mr. Ablakwa’s request, Finali Limited in a letter dated 6th February, 2025, which was addressed to Bernard Ahiafor, Chairman of the Appointments Committee, said “with the consent of the homeowner and the tenants in the above subject matter property, we conducted a thorough search of our files.
“Our records show:
1. A Land Title Certificate Issued on December 15, 2017 and registered as GA. 53984 Volume 02 Folio 1440 for a parcel of land measuring .029 acre-one plot, from Finali Limited to Husni Altheebeh.
2. A Tenancy Agreement dated March 1, 2017 between Husni Altheebeh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa & Nuhela Seidu, for which we granted our Consent on August 8, 2017.
3. A Renewal Agreement dated March 1, 2022. The tenancy is still subsisting, and the requisite consent has been granted thereon.”
Questions raised
Political analysts are questioning why a Tenancy Agreement should be older than the Land Tittle Certificate as it appears the owner rented the residence before he officially acquired it.
Again, why would Ablakwa write to the managers of the Airport Hills about his tenancy agreement and not his landlord?
Accordingly, tongues are wagging as to whether the letter produced by Finali Limited is a colluded deceptive document staged since there are manifest inconsistencies and missing elements that raise suspicion about its authenticity.
The Land Title Certificate indicated that Finali Limited transferred ownership of the property to Husni Altheebeh (Ablakwa’s supposed landlord) on December 15, 2017.
However, Ablakwa’s tenancy agreement was dated March 1, 2017, nine months before the landlord legally acquired the property.
This narrative, according to some analysts, defies logic and exposes an attempted deception, asking that “How could a landlord lease a property he did not yet own?”
Again, the document presented by Finali Limited, which incidentally, Mr. Ablakwa himself posted on his Facebook page did not capture a full tenancy agreement.
Airport Hills, THE CUSTODIAN gathered, is an owner-occupied community with limited rentals and the letter stated that rentals require special consent, raising doubts about whether this tenancy even exists.
A question is being asked that if Ablakwa was simply a tenant, why would Finali Limited have to grant “consent” for his tenancy?
Persons familiar with legitimate tenancy agreements pointed out that such documents must have some key elements.
These include rent payment terms including rent amount, payment method or any receipt to prove payment, all of which are absent in the letter from Finali Limited.
In addition to this, there should be ‘Security Deposit Clause’ as most leases require a security deposit, which is refunded under agreed conditions.
But the letter from Finali did not mention whether a deposit was paid or other way round.
Again, there was no ‘Termination or Renewal Terms,’ in the letter, which simply stated that the tenancy is “still subsisting,” without indicating the renewal process or conditions for termination.
Possible fraud
It is being suggested that either the tenancy agreement is fake, or the land records have been manipulated, both of which point to possible fraud.
This, THE CUSTODIAN believes, must be probed by Parliament that approved Ablakwa for appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The letter from Finali should not be accepted as valid proof of tenancy as it appears to be a desperate colluded attempt to deceive the Appointments Committee.
A thorough investigation should be instituted on the matter to properly clear Ablakwa as the man of integrity that he has been proclaiming.
Transparency and accountability
Mr. Ablakwa who describes himself as a man of integrity, accountability and an anti-corruption crusader could not disclose his Full Tenancy Agreement.
This is suggesting that Ghana’s current chief diplomat who should be in diplomatic circles without blemish, is probably running away from rigorous public scrutiny.
