Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, whose report on illegal mining in the country, has indicted members of the Akufo-Addo government, some members of the president’s family, journalists among others, has been summoned by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, in a short statement he released yesterday, confirmed receiving an invitation from the OSP, asking him to assist in investigation into the activities of the now dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
This will be the second time that the respected heart surgeon, is going to attend to a state investigative body.
The first time was when the Presidency, asked the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) through a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to commenced investigations into allegations by the former minister concerning the engagement of some New Patriotic Party (NPP) bigwigs in galamsey.
The statement he released yesterday, said “earlier today, I received a letter from the Office of the Special Prosecutor inviting me to assist the Office as a person necessary for the investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the activities and expenditure of the dissolved the Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal Mining.
“I have formally communicated my willingness to attend the invitation and support the OSP in the work.”
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, earlier assured the public and civil society that all persons found culpable in the report on the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) will have “necessary action” taken against them.
The OSP on Tuesday, May 2, broke silence on the report authored on Friday, March 19, 2021 by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who chaired the IMCIM Committee.
He had cited government officials for complicity in the mass degradation of the country’s forest cover through illegal mining.
He disclosed that he had handed over the report to the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare, to be handed over to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Among those he cited in his report was the deceased Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Osei Afriyie, popularly known as “Sir John”, who was said to have employed a Chinese gang mining in forest reserves.
Calls were made for the Special Prosecutor to initiate investigations, especially on the persons, including current government officials cited in the report.
“The OSP welcomes the calls for action and investigations and it assures the public and civil society that its 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 stated in a press release to give an update on illegal mining cases his office is pursuing.
“The OSP will take necessary action against all persons deemed culpable of corruption and corruption-related offences in the mining sector.”
He referred to an October, 2022 press release, which announced the Office’s initial steps to probe suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in the illegal mining sector.
It, therefore, acknowledged the calls for action made on the matter following the publication of the Frimpong-Boateng report.
Earlier, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, revealed that top officials of the NPP, including Ministers in government at the seat of government are involved in galamsey.
He explained that some of the government appointees who supervised his ousting from the Ministry, continued the illegal mining.
In an interview with state broadcaster GBC on the allegations of some 500 missing excavators from galamseyers in 2020, Prof. Boateng, said it was a fabrication by some individuals in government to get him out of the way.
— GhanaHerald
