The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has in a petition asked the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to investigate allegations that he is into illegal small-scale mining in the country.
In the petition,;the General Secretary insisted he does not have any concessions anywhere in Ghana to do mining and therefore called for all those involved in tarnishing his reputation with those allegations to be fully investigated and possibly arrested.
“I am by this complaint,;calling for full investigations and possible arrest of all involved in this scandalous act to tarnish my hard-earned reputation and image.
John Boadu
“I do state categorically that, I do not own the said property and/or excavators as alleged in the video.”
This comes on the back of a video that went viral on social media showing;a fleet of excavators parked at Asankragua in the Western Region and was alleged they belonged to Mr. Boadu.
Also some people have attributed some parked excavators,;other movable equipment and some property to be his and that of his supposed business partners, mainly Chinese miners.
Mr. Boadu indicated that his initial investigations revealed one;Oscar Ike Obinim to be the mastermind behind the production of the video and the narrator in the video.
I am not into mining
Prior to this, Mr John Boadu has on several occasions asserted that he is not into mining, legal or illegal. He further averred that he has never been involved nor has any interests in the industry.
Describing these allegations as baseless, Mr Boadu explained that “the failure and inability of the individuals making the said allegations to provide any modicum of substance to back their allegations despite being challenged to do same on many occasions bears ample testimony to the manifest falsity and mischief they are engaged in.”
He said the allegations are a deliberate attempt by his detractors to tarnish his reputation, and lower his good image in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.
Mr Boadu stressed that he has no mining concession anywhere in the country or elsewhere whether acquired and operated legally or illegally and has not authorized anybody to operate a mining concession on his behalf.
He also stated that he has never owned an excavator, nor has he ever been involved either directly or indirectly in any form of mining activity in the past or present.
John Boadu on excavators
Mr. John Boadu admonished the military or the team in charge of the fight against illegal mining to burn any concession or excavators that are appropriated to him since he is neither directly nor indirectly involved in any form of mining and he does not own any excavator or excavators.
The General Secretary said mining appears to have taken a negative connotation in Ghana to the extent that, those who are legally undertaking the activity are condemned. He said mining however provides genuine employment for many in the country.
He moreover indicated that,;what government is fighting is illegal mining and those carrying it out on water bodies and not against mining.
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