Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Minority Leader in Parliament, believes the report on illegal mining released by Prof. Frimpong Boateng, former Chairman of the defunct Inter-ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining, makes a mockery of the government’s fight against galamsey.
In a Facebook post, Dr. Forson stated that Prof. Frimpong’s revelation strongly suggests that the galamsey fight was a charade. He categorically states that it is 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, a former Minister of Environment, and handed over to the Chief of Staff in March 2021 cited a number of top officials in the Akufo-Addo administration accused of either engaging in galamsey or interfering with the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining.
In a rejoinder, the Presidency argued that, despite the serious allegations made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng against some government appointees, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to allow the claims to be properly investigated.
It maintains that the report was based on hearsay. According to Dr. Ato Forson, the government’s actions thus far are 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.”
Meanwhile, the Minority Leader has called for a full investigation into the revelations.
“The revealing issues and several others in the damning report demand a national investigation,” he added.
