Polo Beach Club Sues Labadi Beach Hotel Over Beachfront Land Ownership
- Spartan-Ives Limited, operators of Polo Beach Club, filed a lawsuit against Labadi Beach Hotel and two others on September 16, 2026
- The suit followed Labadi Beach Hotel's sudden decision to discontinue its own legal claim to the disputed beachfront land
- Polo Beach Club, according to an available report, accused a National Security official of abusing his office to demolish the club on behalf of the hotel
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Spartan-Ives Limited, operators of the Polo Beach Club on the La beachfront in Accra, have taken legal action against Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited, operators of Labadi Beach Hotel, along with two other parties over a contested strip of beachfront land.
Source: UGC
The lawsuit, according to a September 18, 2026 report by Daily Guide, was filed on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
It names the hotel operator, its parent entity, and Richard Jakpa, Director of Special Operations at the National Security Council Secretariat, as defendants.
Jakpa stands accused of using his government position to further what the Club describes as an unlawful campaign to demolish its premises.
What triggered Polo Beach Club's legal action
The timing of the suit is significant. Polo Beach Club moved to court within hours of Labadi Beach Hotel discontinuing its own lawsuit, in which it had asserted rights over the same beachfront land.
The hotel described that withdrawal as "a commercial one," clarifying that it did not amount to an admission of any wrongdoing or a concession on the merits of its original claim.
The Club, however, dismissed that explanation, arguing the hotel's retreat was a tactical manoeuvre designed to pave the way for a physical demolition of its facilities while bypassing the courts.
Polo Beach Club simultaneously filed an application for an interlocutory injunction to halt any demolition pending the outcome of the new suit.
What the club is claiming in court
Through the lawsuit, Spartan-Ives Limited is seeking a declaration that it lawfully acquired the disputed land, having secured a 20-year lease from the La Stool in June 2022 at a total cost of GH¢1.5 million, with the consent of the La Pleasure Beach Management Committee.
The Club is also seeking confirmation of its right to rent the adjacent car park land from the La Beach Resort Management Committee.
In 2023, valuation firm UT Properties Limited assessed the Polo Beach Club building at a market value of GH¢41.3 million.
The Club contends the figure is now considerably higher following extensive improvements to the property.
The filing traces the breakdown between the two parties to a failed joint venture negotiation, during which the Club alleges the hotel demanded an outsized share of any partnership arrangement.
After those talks collapsed, the Club says the hotel began a sustained campaign of interference, including blocking access to the Club's entrance and making it difficult for customers to reach the venue.
Allegations against Richard Jakpa
The suit makes pointed allegations against Jakpa, stating that he is acting on his own initiative to carry out the hotel's instructions rather than under any directive from the National Security Coordinator.
The Club argues that neither the government nor the National Security apparatus has sanctioned any demolition effort, and that Jakpa is "on a frolic of his own" in pursuing one.
Beyond a declaration of its land rights, Polo Beach Club is seeking perpetual injunctions to prevent the defendants from demolishing the Club, deploying heavy machinery to the beachfront, or interfering with its customers, staff, and operations.
The Club is also claiming general damages and legal costs.
Security forces mobilised weeks ahead of demolition
Per an earlier YEN.com.gh report, police and military personnel had already been stationed at Laboma Beach more than a month before the operation, as the Greater Accra Regional Security Council finalised arrangements for the exercise.
The deployment formed part of a wider crackdown launched after the devastating June 29 floods, with officials framing the demolitions as a step to restore natural drainage and prevent further flooding rather than a punitive measure against beach traders.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
