Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, has proposed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, not to ignore the ‘galamsey’ report, authored by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
In the report, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who is a former Chairman of the now defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, accused some stalwart of the Akufo-Addo government of interfering in his galamsey [illegal small-scale mining] fight or being engaged in galamsey.
The Presidency in its response, said claims in the report are a catalogue of personal grievances of Prof. Frimpong-Boateng and could best be described as hearsay. The Presidency also tagged the document as not being an official report before Cabinet, as it was submitted in an informal way.
However, there have been series of counter-responses from persons indicted in the report and Prof. Frimpong-Boateng.
Dr. Ashigbey, commenting on the issue in an interview, called on the Presidency to weigh the merits of the claims and look into it, no matter how it was presented. The convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining claimed the report is a test on the Presidency, to prove its willingness in the fight against galamsey.
“My worry is more of the presidency’s statement about the fact that it was not an official report from the former Cabinet Minister and Chairperson of Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining [Professor Frimpong-Boateng]. The people [indicted in the report] have denied the allegations. That is the right of those people. The illegal mining scare is a major thing, we cannot wish this report away. Even a report from a whistle-blower, should be enough for you to be able to deal with it.
“For the presidency, whether this is a formal report or not, this is a former Cabinet member making a report, and I think that in whatever form, it is important that it is taken as seriously as it ought. And the state with all the powers must investigate it. Take this thing seriously and look into it, in such a way that those found culpable are punished.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey
Moreover, Dr. Ashigbey pushed for an independent body to probe the report, so that its findings can be taken to court for further prosecution.
“The most important thing is, we get an independent body to probe this. This time round, we make sure that its findings can be taken to court and people found guilty are prosecuted for the wrongs done,” he opined. He also charged the President to find a lasting solution to the galamsey menace.
“The committee [IMCIM] was given the power by the president to execute what it did. The tone of the presidency, I think needs to be checked. This is a crisis that is taking us down as a country. When you are in a crisis, and you get a report, you ask yourself how do I deal with it? The executive should be getting a proper committee and should be independent of the current government, so that it gets to the bottom of it.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey
Ato Forson Calls Government’s Galamsey Fight A Huge Fraud
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Caucus Leader, believes the report released by Prof. Frimpong Boateng on the illicit activity, makes mockery of government’s fight against illegal mining, otherwise known as ‘galamsey’.
In a Facebook post, Dr. Forson said the revelation by Prof. Frimpong is strongly indicative that the galamsey fight was nothing but a charade. He plainly describes the fight against the illegal activity, as fraudulent.
“Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report to the President on failed work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, which was set up by President Akufo-Addo to fight the illegal mining menace, confirms that the whole fight was a fraudulent one”, he wrote.
The report authored by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in March 2021 and handed over to the Chief of Staff, cited a number of top officials in the Akufo-Addo government accused of either being engaged in galamsey or interfered in the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining.
The Presidency in a rejoinder, argued that despite the serious allegations Prof. Frimpong-Boateng made against some government appointees, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated.
Even as the Presidency insists that the report was based on hearsay, Dr. Ato Forson, however, averred that government’s action so far, is a tacit endorsement of its corrupt appointees. “It was shrouded in a well-calculated ruse to enable key government officials and functionaries at the Presidency to dabble in the very illicit business of galamsey”, the minority caucus leader claimed.
Meanwhile, the Minority leader has pushed for a full-scale investigation into the revelations.
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