Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and a former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has chastised the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice for undermining his report on the activities of illegal mining.
In a statement dated Thursday, October 12 2023, the celebrated heart surgeon stated that he is not surprised at the remarks of the Attorney General on his report.
According to him, the remarks of the Attorney General on his report on the activities of illegal mining only confirmed the claims by the president that his report lacked merit.
“My attention has been drawn to a publication dated 12th September 2023 by the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice concerning the report on illegal mining that I presented to the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Presidency in March 2021. The Attorney General is of the opinion that the report dated 19th March 2021 (and not 19th March 2019 as stated by the Attorney General), contains claims that are unfounded and lack the supporting documentation necessary to bring the named parties to justice.
“I am not at all surprised with that characterization by the Attorney General. According to a Graphic Online report filed by Kweku Zurek as far back as 22nd April 2023, the Office of the President was said to have referred to the report as a catalogue of personal grievances and that the claims in the report were unfounded and amounted to hearsay. Attorney General, Godfred Dame, followed up and advised that little attention be given to Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng’s report on illegal mining”.
Professor Frimpong Boateng
Professor Frimpong Boateng further argued that the remarks of the Attorney General on his report equally rubbishes the many concerns and reservations several Ghanaians including traditional leaders and journalists have expressed about the dangers of the activities of illegal mining in the country.
“I guess to the Attorney General, the Asantehene, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II was also wrong and had no evidence when he said politicians and powerful businessmen are behind the wanton destruction of lands and water bodies in the country. I also believe, to the Attorney General, there are no party people involved in illegal mining; there are no government appointees churning the soils in our forests and farmlands for gold; there are no Chinese engaged in illegal mining. We are to believe that all the documentaries filed by Mr. Erastus Asare Donkor on illegal mining are untrue and fake”.
Professor Frimpong Boateng
Frimpong Boateng Chastises AG For Failing To Act On His Report On Time
Moreover, the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining questioned why it took the Attorney General office so long to act on his report.
He challenged the Attorney General to tell Ghanaians why there was no action on his report and waited for more than two years when he was out of office for the Attorney General to tell Ghanaians that, there is no evidence to prosecute those implicated in the report.
According to Professor Frimpong Boateng, Ghanaians will soon experience the harmful consequences of the activities of illegal mining in the country.
“We can all close our eyes and bagatellize the destruction of the environment and its biodiversity, but the reality of these criminal actions by people who have no conscience and love for the country will be evident in the near future if not soon”.
Professor Frimpong Boateng
The Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice indicated that Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s claims in his report on unlawful mining activities in the nation do not provide enough justifications for the state to instigate legal action against those named in the report.
The Attorney General’s opinions follow the conclusion of its study of a docket presented by the Police regarding the allegations made by Professor Frimpong Boateng in his 36-page report on the unlawful activities of mining in the country.
