The judgment, delivered on May 6, 2025, by the High Court in Accra, granted GACL full re-entry and possession of over 16 acres of land previously occupied by subsidiaries of the McDan Group.

Appeal

The McDan Group, according to Graphic Online, has filed for a stay of execution pending an appeal.

The lands in question, measuring approximately 10.63 acres and 5.66 acres, are located adjacent to and opposite the Action Chapel International, near Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

They were previously held by McDan Shipping Company and Airport Logistics Limited, both part of the McDan Group, since 2012.

Breaches

In February 2025, GACL filed a writ and a statement of claim against the two entities, citing longstanding breaches of land lease agreements and outstanding ground rents.

The company sought the recovery of $26,296 in accrued ground rent for the use of the lands, as well as a perpetual injunction to prevent the defendants from further interference with the lands.

Following legal proceedings, GACL applied for summary judgment on the grounds that the defendants had no valid defense.

The court ruled in favor of GACL, awarding all reliefs sought and ordering the defendants to pay GH¢50,000 in legal costs.

In December 2024, McDan Aviation’s operations at Terminal 1 of KIA were suspended due to debt obligations. While those debts were later cleared, the land dispute remained unresolved until this legal intervention.

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The Commission’s decision came in response to a letter from the Managing Director of GACL, Mrs Pamela Djamson-Tettey dated September 7, 2023.

The MD had requested a one-week extension to gather and submit information to JoyNews’ Head of Research, Raymond Acquah, as directed by the Commission.

In a letter dated September 20, 2023, with reference number RTIG/RF/voL4/856, the Commission expressed its dissatisfaction with GACL’s delay in providing the requested information.

The Commission had previously issued directives on February 3, 2023, and February 16, 2023, specifying the format in which the information should be submitted, and emphasized that the information was already available.

The Commission, while acknowledging the principle of fairness, granted GACL a one-week extension as requested.

However, it firmly rejected GACL’s appeal for the waiver of the administrative penalty of ¢200,000 imposed by the Commission in a letter dated August 23, 2023.

The Commission justified its decision by highlighting the lack of cooperation from GACL in complying with their earlier directives.

The Commission viewed this as a deliberate attempt to hinder the implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which grants the Commission the authority to impose administrative penalties on entities that fail to comply with their obligations under the Act.

In the letter signed by Executive Secretary Yaw Sarpong Boateng, the Commission stated that it does not have the power to waive the already imposed penalty of ¢200000 and advised GACL to make the payment following the Commission’s directive.

Background
The saga began when JoyNews requested access to the contract between GACL and Frontiers Healthcare Services, which oversees COVID-19 testing at the airport.

However, GACL refused to disclose this information, citing Section 10 of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which allows for exemptions when certain conditions are met.

GACL argued that the contract contained information exempt from disclosure, such as trade secrets and financial data with potential monetary value.

Furthermore, GACL stated that disclosing this information could harm the financial interests of the state, disrupt business or trade, and potentially benefit or harm specific individuals by providing advanced knowledge of future economic measures.

Additionally, they claimed that some information related to the contract award process and revenue generated from testing was not in their possession.

JoyNews challenged this stance, contending that the requested information did not fall under the broad exemptions outlined in Section 10 of the RTI law.

The Right to Information Commission intervened and, after a thorough review, communicated its decision to GACL in a letter dated February 3, 2023.

The Commission’s findings contradicted GACL’s position, asserting that the contract had already been executed and did not possess monetary or potential monetary value to the state.

The Commission further determined that disclosing the requested information would not damage the financial interests of the state.

Consequently, the Commission issued a directive to GACL, compelling them to release not only the Frontiers contract but also a summary of procurement details related to the GACL and Frontiers Healthcare Services Ltd transaction, excluding tax information and evaluative processes.

Additionally, GACL is required to provide information on the total revenue generated from Covid-19 testing at the airport since the inception of the agreement with Frontiers, along with the amounts earned by Frontiers Health Services and the government from these operations.

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GACL has explained the decision to rescind the interdiction follows consultations and facts that have been brought to its attention over the matter.

However, GACL’s letter has indicated that the Committee of Enquiry shall proceed with its mandate as spelt out in the Convening Order.

The security officer, Awudu Basit, stationed at the Kumasi Aiport was interdicted for what was described as embarrassing when he decided to conduct a pre-boarding search on Mr Dapaah in front of the VVIP Lounge on September 8.

The interdiction was to pave way for a thorough investigation of the circumstances that led to the incident.

The company has come under heavy criticism after the news about the incident went viral.