According to the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, 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 accusations made in a 36-page document titled “Report on the work of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining and the Way Forward,” prepared by Prof. Frimpong Boateng.
“The Attorney-General indicates that a careful study of the Report, the various documents and pen drives submitted to the Police did not disclose any evidence in support of the allegations made against the persons cited in the Report, with the exception of Seth Mantey, John Ofori Atta and Ekow Ewusi, in respect of whom the A-G instructs the Police to conclude their investigations and present a report to him”.
Evelyn Keelson
AG Directs Police To Discharge Some Person’s Named In The Report
Evelyn Keelson, the Chief State Attorney, signed the A-G’s advice, which was released on Tuesday, September 12, and delivered to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service on Thursday, September 14.
The advice stated that it could not suggest bringing charges against any of the people mentioned in the report.
The Attorney General has consequently directed the police to release everyone listed excluding those who are still being looked into.
However, despite the fact that John Ofori Atta was invited by the police, according to the Attorney General’s instructions, there is no proof that he was interrogated or that a statement was obtained from him. Again, Mr. Ekow Ewusi’s statement is not listed on the docket.
The Attorney General has consequently given the Police instructions to wrap up their inquiries into that matter and provide him with a report on it.
When he was the Environment Minister, Professor. Frimpong-Boateng, a former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), provided names of officials who he claimed prevented him from combating what is known locally as ‘galamsey’
The renowned surgeon said in the aforementioned document that some people undermined the committee he oversaw from addressing the canker.
“Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the President’s commitment to protecting the environment. I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the national to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers, or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them.
“I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do. There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace”.
Professor Frimpong Boateng
Professor Frimpong Boateng also charged a former New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament in the Ashanti Region of selling concessions that had been obtained unlawfully for GHC 200,000 each.
According to him, this infuriated the party members in the constituency so that during the 2020 parliamentary primaries to choose a candidate, the electorates voted against the party’s Member of Parliament, the then sitting MP, who was more resourceful than other candidates
Some of the people identified in the report, rejected it. The renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and National Cardiothoracic Center founder was then questioned by the police, and a report was forwarded to the Attorney-General for guidance.
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