Supreme Court ends land dispute, upholds victory for Anas in unanimous ruling

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed an application by businessman Adolph Tetteh Adjei seeking to overturn an earlier judgment that awarded ownership of a disputed parcel of land in Accra to investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

In a decisive 7–0 ruling delivered on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the apex court held that Mr Adjei’s application failed to satisfy the strict legal requirements needed for the Supreme Court to review its own decision.

The justices said they had carefully examined the motion, affidavits filed by both parties, written legal arguments and oral submissions before concluding that the request lacked merit.

The long-running dispute, which also involves one Holly Quaye, centres on prime land in Accra and has travelled through all levels of Ghana’s judicial system — from the High Court, to the Court of Appeal, and finally to the Supreme Court.

In November 2025, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Anas, bringing the matter close to an end.

Unhappy with that outcome, Mr Adjei filed a review application, which was heard on January 27, 2026, by the expanded panel chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang.

Under Ghanaian law, such a review can only be granted in exceptional circumstances, including the discovery of new and compelling evidence, a clear error of law or fact on the face of the record, or a violation of natural justice.

Lawyers for Mr Adjei advanced six grounds in support of their request, arguing that the earlier decision had occasioned a miscarriage of justice and involved a misapplication of the law.

However, the court rejected those claims, stressing that none met the high threshold required to invoke its review jurisdiction.

The ruling effectively brings final closure to the protracted legal battle and firmly vests title to the disputed land in Anas, who acquired the property from the Ataa Tawiah Tsiniatse and Numo Ofoli Kwashie Family.

In reinforcing its earlier decision, the full bench clarified that a 2015 consent judgment of the Court of Appeal — which purported to settle issues arising from an earlier High Court ruling by Justice Ofori-Atta — remains legally valid unless set aside by a competent court.

Although a separate case challenging that consent judgment is still pending before the High Court, the Supreme Court noted that the judgment stands until a contrary decision is made.

The court also emphasised that its ruling relates strictly to Mr Adjei and the specific two-acre parcel under dispute, and does not extinguish the rights of third parties whose land interests remain valid unless overturned by a court.

The other justices who sat on the panel were Justices Richard Adjei Frimpong, Hafisatu Amaleboba, Yoni Kulendi, Bright Mensah, Janapare Bartes-Kodwo and Ernest Gaewu.