Regarding the dismantling of the Fantasy Dome at the Trade Fair site, Mark Okraku-Mantey, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, has made remarks.
At the African Music Business Summit held at the GIPC on Friday, March 22, 2024, he mentioned that he was assisting Leslie in finding a place to move his tent before the destruction took place, even though he claimed he had not yet received any information about what actually happened.
“I am still probing. I am asking the legitimate questions, why it went like that. You know that is under the Ministry of Trade. Because Leslie came to me personally that he wanted a land to move the Dome. I gave him a place at the National Museum. Unfortunately, the Dome is way too big that after getting a place to fix it, they will struggle with car park. That is why he didn’t take our land. So he took some steps to move,” he said at the summit.
The Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited dismantled the Fantasy Dome, which held 20,000 seats, on Saturday, March 16, 2024.
Leslie Quaynor, the CEO of Fantasy Entertainment, gave the owner of the leased premises about eight notices to vacate for a redevelopment project of the place, as stated in their tenancy agreement, according to Dr. Agnes Adu, CEO of the Trade Fair.
She said that because the Trade Fair Center was undergoing renovations, notice to vacate had been given to all prior tenants, including the proprietors of Fantasy Dome.
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“…the Fantasy Dome was the lone person holding out and refusing to move. And after 15 months of consistently giving notices to the owners of the Fantasy Dome, the owners and the developers we had no choice but to dismantle so that we can continue with the work,” she noted.
According to Dr. Adu, they provided the CEO enough time to remove his structures in accordance with the contract they signed with Fantasy Entertainment.
In an interview with JoyNews, Mr. Quaynor described the events leading up to the demolition, stating that his lease had expired and that plans were in motion to move the dome to a new location. He so asked for an extension, to which the Trade Fair objected.
Mr. Quaynor stated that in order to stop the Trade Fair management from demolishing his property, he filed a writ and an injunction at the Accra High Court. This gave him enough time to move, and the firm was served at the location.
Leslie pointed out that this is a serious setback for the entertainment sector, which depends on venues like this to prosper, as well as for him personally as a businessman.
