The Office of the Special Prosecutor says it has advanced in its probe into illegal mining commonly called galamsey in the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, May 2, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng said his team is looking into the report authored by the former Minister of Science, Environment, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng on illegal mining.
This is in response to requests from the public for the office to pay close attention to the report that reveals several violations in the effort to combat the canker.
“Investigation is ongoing and far-reaching and it also covers the matters raised in the report published by the head of the dissolved IMCIM,” Mr. Agyebeng said in the statement.
Mr. Agyabeng stated that action will be taken against persons found culpable in the activity.
Meanwhile, most of the people cited in the report have denied any misconduct.
Background
The former Minister of f Science, Environment, Technology and Innovation and former Chairman of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining in a 37-page document accused some government officials of engaging in galamsey or interfering in his work.
“Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the President’s commitment to protect 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.”
According to the report, an NPP MP in the Ashanti Region used his position as a member of the Minerals Commission to acquire several dozens of large-scale concessions in his district, ostensibly for community mining purposes.
He ended up selling these concessions to private individuals, including party members for two hundred thousand Cedis per concession.
“This infuriated the party in the constituency so during the 2020 primaries to select a candidate the electorate voted against the sitting MP, who was more resourced than other candidates. Although there were allegations that he “camped” delegates and attempted to bribe them, he lost to a lesser known individual who did not have any financial muscle.”
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in the report also cited instances when leading NPP officials served as legal counsels for persons accused of involving in galamsey and destroying the environment and water bodies.
The former Minister for Environment said he put together the report dated March 19, 2021, following an order from the Chief of Staff.
The renowned surgeon, in the report, also accused a reporter of engaging in unlawful excavator sales and money laundering at the behest of some government appointees.
