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An Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering, Dr. Michael Gyamerah has accused the Lands Commission and some chiefs of the Volta region of collusion to defraud the state of moneys they were not entitled to concerning the Volta Basin floods. According to him, though the lands were owned by stools, some chiefs, instead of pursuing claims in the interest of the community, did so in their personal interests and had compensation paid to them wrongly. Appearing before the judgment debt commission chaired by Justice Yaw Apau in respect of a petition he filed to the commission concerning compensations to the Volta basin flooded area, specifically on Apai, yesterday, he castigated the Lands Commission for not also doing its work well. He told the commission that, the 64 communities under the Volta basin denuded areas were valued at GH�138m, but from history people who were not part of the original settlers instead claimed monies. He said they have received GH�71, 670,046.96, leaving about GH�67m to be paid. Providing the names of the �illegal beneficiaries,� he said, one Nana claimed GH�793, 753.95, Nana Dordanba of Anyiname collected GH�186, 198.97, Mr. Addo of Dormabin claimed GH�1, 592, 545.06 and Prof. O. Danson/John Gyamfi of Asukawkaw took GH�1, 440, 908.63. The rest included Opanin Kwabena Antwi of Natoaboma who took GH�4, 087, 418.21, Nana Amatakyi of Tokoroano/Kyidon collected GH�1, 805,607.11, Mama Efede of Nkomi GH�3, 185, 017.11 and Nnana Deawuo of Supom GH�1, 805,604.11. He told the commission that these recipients� fraudulently received monies that do not belong to them because the Lands Commission also failed to do a background check on the surveyors report furnished them. He said Apai only comprised Apai, Otiso, Supoma, Pai Apaasu, Addo Nkwanta and Motodua and anything beyond it was falsely added. Mr. Gyamerah who is a native of Apai, but resides in the United States said, upon realizing that a chief hired a surveyor and applied for compensation not in the interest of the communities, he petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice through the complaints unit, but was ignored. He subsequently wrote to the Lands Commission to draw their attention to the �ailing� development, but nothing was done and so had to petition the Judgment debt commission. He said on March 20, 2003, Nana Ofosu Yiadom III appointed Messrs Kwadwo Abban to value the land, but the surveyor did not go to site, sat in his office and prepared a fake map of the land to that effect. He said lands cannot be given to individuals, but instead they are stool lands and that every valuation presented to the lands valuation for compensation were fraudulent. He said the four original owners of Apai covering a total land area of 102, 312 acres did not get compensated, but wrong people were compensated as though they were part of Apai.