After the galamsey report authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, was made known, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) posits that it has been vindicated, through its continuous claims that the government never intended to fight illegal mining activities.
The former Chairman of the now defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in his report, accused some stalwarts of the Akufo-Addo government of interfering in illegal small-scale mining fight or being engaged in galamsey.
The National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, addressing the media at the ‘Moment of Truth Series’ at the NDC headquarters, contends that galamsey was bound to flourish under the NPP government.
“Galamsey was obviously bound to flourish under the corrupt Akufo-Addo-Bawumia regime because it was the central source for illegal gold purchases, used in this complex money laundering scheme, which has been uncovered by Aljazeera. This scheme is being perpetrated against the state by high powerful forces. As we the NDC have always maintained, President Akufo-Addo’s claim of fighting galamsey was the biggest scam ever to be perpetrated on Ghanaians.
“Today, the NDC stands to be vindicated, as a report authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has confirmed our long-held opinion. There has never been any genuine commitment or attempt to fight galamsey by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government. The said report, shows clearly that the so-called fight against galamsey was a charade, calculated to enable top government and NPP functionaries to appropriate and take over the elicit galamsey trading.”
Sammy Gyamfi
Sammy Gyamfi claimed many of the appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, were neck-deep in galamsey and engaged in the activity with reckless abandon, while addressing journalists in Accra on Tuesday, April 25.
He said the report underscored the fact that “illegal mining has been a free-for-all enterprise” of appointees of government.
Sammy Gyamfi said the nephew of the President, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, for instance, acted with impunity and this must be called out and condemned by all. “Shame to all the media personalities, who are shamelessly defending the action of Gabby Otchere-Darko,’ averred Sammy Gyamfi.
NDC To Resist Anything Short Of Bi-Partisan Probe Into Frimpong-Boateng Report
The NDC claims that it will be petitioning the Clerk of Parliament and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), to launch investigations into the matter.
These were made known by the National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, at a press conference on Tuesday, April 25.
The damning report, which was leaked last week, indicts a wide number of government appointees, past and present, in the fight against illegal mining, popularly called galamsey.
However, speaking to journalists in Accra, Sammy Gyamfi said: “The nation stands united, crying for justice. Anything short of a bi-partisan inquiry into this matter, will be fiercely resisted.”
He said Ghanaians deserve a probe into the matters raised in the report because millions of taxpayers’ monies were pumped into the fight against galamsey for it to end this “abysmal” way.
Sammy Gyamfi expressed shock that the report had been on the President’s desk for the past two years. However, the Presidency, over the weekend, questioned the report, saying it was only “a catalogue of personal grievances” and was not officially given to Cabinet, which set up the Committee.
“Whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated.”
Jubilee House
Yet, the NDC Communications Officer alleged “no amount of half-witted and half-hearted explanation of the Presidency or government, can whitewash this infamy.”
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