The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice has officially exonerated government officials who were accused of engaging in illicit mining activities by Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, a former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as a former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
This exoneration comes in response to a detailed 36-page report titled “Report on the work of IMCIM so far and the way forward,” by Professor Frimpong Boateng. In this report, he made startling allegations, where he revealed that certain government officials and private individuals were engaged in illegal mining, popularly known as “galamsey.
Among those singled out in the report for their alleged involvement in these illicit mining activities were Laud Commey, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, also known as Protozoa, Joseph Albert Quarm, Charles Owusu, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Captain (Rtd.) Edmund Kojo Koda, Donald Entsuah, and an unnamed former Member of Parliament representing the Wassa East Constituency.
However, the Attorney-General, in an advice to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, said that investigations by the Police have not revealed any evidence in support of the allegations.
“The allegations are therefore bare and do not provide a basis for any criminal charge against the persons cited in the Report,” the Attorney-General said.
The Attorney-General also noted that Professor Frimpong Boateng refused to provide any further information to the Police to substantiate the allegations in his report.
“The Professor refused to provide any further information to the police. He also declined to give a written statement, claiming his Report is ‘an embodiment of his statement’ and all the information he has on the allegations,” the Attorney-General said.
The Attorney-General, therefore, instructed the Police to discharge all government officials who were cited in Professor Frimpong Boateng’s report.
However, the Attorney-General said that investigations are ongoing into allegations of illegal mining activities against Seth Mantey, John Ofori Atta and Ekow Ewusi.
