La Pleasure Beach management sues SSNIT, two hotels over demolition

The dispute over the management of La Pleasure Beach has taken a legal turn, with the beach’s management committee suing two hotel companies and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) over the demolition of its office and other structures. In a writ of summons filed at the High Court in Accra on October 23, Stanley Anyetei Nunoo, who describes himself as Chairman of the Management Committee of La Pleasure Beach, is seeking declarations confirming the committee’s authority to manage the beachfront, regulate activities, issue licences and generate revenue from its operations. The suit accuses Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited, La Palm Beach Hotel Limited and SSNIT of involvement in an operation that allegedly destroyed the committee’s management office and other licensed facilities, disrupting its work and affecting operators at the beach. The plaintiff describes the demolition as unlawful and is asking the court to determine whether the defendants had any legal basis for the action. Committee contests authority over beach At the centre of the case is a dispute over who has the legal authority to manage La Pleasure Beach. According to the statement of claim, the management committee was established following a Court of Appeal order dated July 21, 2022, which the plaintiff says dissolved an interim management committee set up by the High Court in April 2013. Mr Nunoo contends that the committee has since exercised management responsibilities, including issuing licences to operators, regulating activities and collecting revenue. The suit also challenges the position of the two hotel companies, which operate Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Beach Hotel. The plaintiff argues that the companies have no proprietary or possessory interest in La Pleasure Beach or its management, apart from an access licence granted by the committee. Demolition allegedly carried out at dawn The statement of claim alleges that security personnel from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces entered the beachfront at dawn on or about October 2, 2026, and pulled down the committee’s management office and other structures. The plaintiff further claims that equipment, furniture, files, records and other property were destroyed or removed during the operation. Staff and licensed operators were allegedly driven away, disrupting the committee’s activities and the businesses operating under its authority. The suit maintains that the demolition took place without a court order or warrant and without prior notice or a hearing for the committee. Mr Nunoo is asking the court to establish the legality of the operation and determine the extent to which the defendants were involved in, or facilitated, the demolition. SSNIT’s concerns over beachfront activities The court action also refers to a press release issued by SSNIT on October 2, 2026, in which the trust said it had sought the intervention of the National Security Council Secretariat over what it described as persistent unlawful occupation, encroachment and unauthorised activities on the beachfront adjoining Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. According to the statement cited in the court documents, SSNIT said the hotels were part of its investment portfolio and that it had a responsibility to protect those investments for the benefit of contributors and pensioners. The plaintiff, however, alleges that the defendants jointly participated in or facilitated the demolition of the committee’s structures. The competing positions bring the management of the beachfront, the scope of the parties’ respective rights and the circumstances surrounding the demolition before the court for determination. The court is yet to determine the claims and reliefs sought in the action.