The High Court has granted an interlocutory injunction against Chinese investor, Tang Wei, and Nii Adam Kwartei Quartey, from entering lands that are in the possession of Panbros Salt Limited.
In granting the interlocutory injunction against Mr Tang Wei and his associate, the High Court judge noted, that the fact that Panbros Salt Limited was in occupation of the disputed land had not been denied by Mr Tang Wei and Mr Kwartei Quartey and therefore they were restrained from entering the land until the suit regarding who legally owns the land was settled.
“Since the plaintiffs had not disputed the Defendants/Applicants occupation of the disputed land, I would grant this application as prayed and restrain the plaintiffs from entry of the disputed land to carry out any form of activity whatsoever. I restrain the plaintiffs from interfering with the Defendants/ Applicants’ occupation of the disputed land. I further restrain both parties from granting any rights or interests in the disputed property to any person,” the ruling by His Lordship William Boampong dated November 21, 2025 read in part.
While Panbros Salt Limited contends that it legally acquired the land from the James Town Stool and acquired the requisite mining license, Mr. Tang Wei argued that he acquired the same piece of land from the Gbawe Kwartei Family in 2019.
Even though Mr Tang Wei and his associate are the plaintiffs in the matter regarding the ownership of the land, he has, with the support of state security, been terrorising workers of the salt mine, prompting the local workers’ union to complain publicly about the psychological trauma of having armed security personnel constantly in their faces.
Recently, Over 1,000 staff of Panbros Salt Industries Limited and some residents at Weija in the Greater Accra Region raised concerns of living in fear amid the risk of job losses, following the deepening land dispute.
Workers bemoaned the presence of armed police, national security and land guards, threatening a conducive working environment in the area as they have taken sides in the matter.
Mr Evans Kofi Otoo, the local workers union chairman disclosed to the media that the heavy security presence is affecting them emotionally, wondering why the central government is indifferent to their plight, allowing a foreigner to threaten the livelihood of thousands of residents.
“We no longer feel safe seeing armed police, national security operatives and landguards patrolling the area and covertly supporting the Chinese national whose activities threaten the operations of Panbros,” he disclosed.
The concerns of the Union Chairman follow attempts by one Robert Tang Wei, a Chinese investor seeking to establish an estate and factories within the Panbros Salt Industries enclave—part of the Densu Delta Ramsar Site—has not obtained the required construction permit from the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly. The encroachment and unauthorised development springing up reportedly cause flooding during the rainy seasons.
Tang Wei, who claims ownership of portions of land belonging to the long-established salt-producing company founded in 1958, said his planned project would include a roofing sheet manufacturing plant and a water storage tank factory. According to him, the initiative aims “to help communities and employ even more Ghanaians.”
Already the owner of the Empire Cement Factory—also located within the same protected area and previously the subject of public controversy and resident opposition—Tang Wei maintains that his latest venture is legitimate.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, he returned to the Panbros site, accompanied by heavily armed officers from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit of the Ghana Police Service and National Security. His team reportedly excavated a trench near the company’s salt refinery.
On Accra-based Citi Fm, Tang Wei insisted that he had lawfully purchased the land and only sought security assistance after facing repeated resistance from Panbros workers. He also claimed to have naturalised as a Ghanaian citizen, asserting that he “deserves protection to secure his legally acquired property.”
Meanwhile, the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly revealed that Tang Wei has neither received any authorisation for construction or factory establishment on the site from the local authorities or from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
There are suspicions that some powerful hands in authority are fuelling the conduct of the developer in flagrant disregard of the matter currently being in court. “Robert Tang Wei and Panbros are in court and it is therefore very wrong for Tang Wei to take the law into his own hands and act in a manner that may prejudice the outcome of the case. “It is also very wrong for the police and national security, who know very well that the matter is in court, to provide security assistance and support to a party to a legal suit without a court order,” a management member of Panbros disclosed.
The land in dispute is located at McCarthy Hill in the Weija-Gbawe District of the Greater Accra Region.
Mr. Tang Wei and Nii Adam Kwartei Quartey had earlier filed a suit claiming ownership of the land as they plan to develop it into an estate and factories. But while the suit was pending, they started entering into the land and began some developments, prompting Panbros Salt Limited to seek an interlocutory injunction against them.