A fresh legal battle has erupted over the controversial demolition of structures at La Pleasure Beach, with the beach’s management committee dragging the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and two hospitality firms before the High Court in Accra.
The lawsuit, filed by Stanley Anyetei Nunoo, who says he is Chairman of the La Pleasure Beach Management Committee, accuses Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited, La Palm Beach Hotel Limited and SSNIT of orchestrating what he describes as the unlawful destruction of the committee’s offices and other authorised facilities at the popular beachfront.
In the writ, the plaintiff argues that the defendants had no legal authority to interfere with the management of the beach and is asking the court to reaffirm the committee’s exclusive mandate to administer the area, regulate commercial activities, issue licences and collect revenue.
According to the statement of claim, the committee derives its authority from a Court of Appeal ruling delivered on July 21, 2022, which allegedly dissolved an interim management committee established by the High Court in April 2013. Since then, the plaintiff maintains, the committee has been responsible for overseeing operations at La Pleasure Beach, supervising licensed businesses and managing revenue generated from activities on the site.
Central to the dispute is an operation carried out in the early hours of October 2, 2026. The plaintiff alleges that personnel from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces entered the beach and demolished the committee’s management office together with several structures occupied by licensed operators.
The suit claims the exercise resulted in the destruction and removal of office equipment, furniture, official records and other property, while committee staff and traders were allegedly forced off the premises.
The management committee further contends that the demolition was executed without any court order, warrant, prior notification or opportunity to be heard, describing the exercise as unlawful and a violation of its rights.
The court documents also challenge the role allegedly played by Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited and La Palm Beach Hotel Limited, operators of Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel respectively. The plaintiff insists the companies have no ownership or possessory rights over La Pleasure Beach beyond an access licence previously granted by the committee.
The lawsuit references a public statement issued by SSNIT on October 2, 2026, in which the pension fund explained that it had sought the intervention of the National Security Council Secretariat over what it described as persistent encroachment and unauthorised activities around the beachfront adjoining Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
In that statement, SSNIT said it was acting to safeguard assets within its investment portfolio, stressing that protecting those investments was necessary to preserve returns for contributors and pensioners.
However, the plaintiff alleges that SSNIT and the two hotel companies jointly facilitated or participated in the demolition exercise and should be held accountable for the losses allegedly suffered by the management committee.
The committee is asking the High Court to declare that it remains the lawful body responsible for managing and regulating activities at La Pleasure Beach and that the defendants acted illegally by interfering with its operations.
It is also seeking an order restraining SSNIT and the two hotel companies from taking over or interfering with the management of the beach, as well as an order restoring possession and operational control of the facility to the committee.
Additionally, the plaintiff wants the court to direct an independent assessment of all properties allegedly destroyed, removed or damaged during the demolition, award compensation for property losses, business disruption and lost revenue, and grant aggravated and exemplary damages together with interest, legal costs and any further relief the court considers appropriate.