Joe Dinga Pefok
17 April 2008
State Property and Land Tenure Minister, Pascal Diberme A. Anong, April 11, reached a decision on what has come to be referred to as the AES SONEL/Charles Kuoh land affair.
This had to do with a controversy over the amount of money to be paid as compensation by AES SONEL for a hectare of land owned by the Douala-based Chattered Accountant, Charles Kuoh. The land is situated where the Prime Minister recently laid the foundation stone of the FCFA-52 billion project for the construction of the 86 MW Yassa Thermal Power Plant.
However, there was a conflict over more than one hectare of the land mapped out for the project. The conflict arose apparently because Kuoh refused the compensation of FCFA 8000 for a square metre of the land, which AES SONEL was paying as compensation to those who owned pieces of land at the project site. This amount was arrived at following a series of meetings, which AES SONEL held with families concerned in the presence of local administrative and traditional authorities.
While others accepted the compensation, Kuoh reportedly insisted that the least amount he could accept was FCFA 11,000 for a square metre piece of land. In the face of the conflict, construction work could not take off following a threat from Kuoh to drag AES SONEL to court if it touched his land accepting his demand.
When the Land Tenure Minister convened a meeting in Yaounde in a bid to seek an amicable solution, The Post learned that only AES SONEL showed up, while Kuoh was reported to be abroad. The Minister's meeting took into consideration the urgency of the Yassa Power Plant, which was programmed to be executed in 10 months in a bid to enable it go operational by January 2009.
It was for this reason, as the General Manger of AES SONEL explained at the March 17 ceremony, that the company decided to carry out the project as an emergency measure, to add to the existing thermal plants.
Better Deal
Meanwhile, speaking to Kuoh's family members who turned up at Yassa on April 11 to represent him, the Minister explained that all land in the country in principle belongs to the state, even though there is a category land which individuals have titles for and thus own them in a way.
But he noted that when the state needs to make use of a piece of land for which an individual has a land title, that individual has to cede the place in return for compensation.
The Minister said it is inadmissible that the state should need a piece of land for an urgent development project like the Yassa Power Plant which is for the interest of the entire nation and an individual tries to pose unacceptable conditions.
He insisted that the interest of the state must stand above that of individuals, and ordered the caterpillars bulldozing the site to immediately move into Kuoh's land. He did not rule out the possibility that Kuoh might, upon his return, resolve to take legal measures.
He, however, advised that if Kuoh wants to sue, he should sue the state, for the land title of the Yassa Power Plant is in the name of the state and not AES SONEL.The Minister urged the family of Kuoh to take the cheque that had been issued as compensation for the piece of land. He hinted on the possibility of his ministry looking for a piece of land for Kuoh, if he so wishes.
The Minister revealed that AES SONEL has already paid out a total of FCFA 150,000,000 as compensation. He noted that what is generally paid is FCFA 6000 per square metre of land.
The name Charles Kuoh became known in Douala when this chattered accountant (auditor), who was with Price Water House, was detained in Yaounde when the anti-corruption drive dubbed 'Operation Epervier' was launched in 2006.
He was accused of financial impropriety in one of the state companies where he had been an auditor. However, his company reportedly fought hard and negotiated his release, after which it apparently separated with him, and he moved on to set up his own audit firm.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
