On Saturday, April 29, 2023, the edition of Newsfile with Samson Lardy Anyenini focused on the fight against illegal mining, also known as galamsey in the country.
This conversation was on the back of some findings in the leaked 2021 report written by the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Frimpong Boateng.
The report mentioned
Read full articlegovernment officials and public officials as key persons involved in galamsey.
Some of the known names mentioned in the report include the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Laud Commey, Joseph Quam, among others.
While they have denied any wrongdoing, some alleged that Frimpong-Boateng was equally at fault.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng in his 36-page report wrote that Gabby pestered him when the IMCIM was about dislodging the Imperial Heritage.
His report recalls how Gabby Otchere-Darko, a cousin of the president and an influential member of the ruling NPP, called him on phone to question his decision to order for the dislodgment of equipment of a Mining Company Imperial Heritage which Prof. Frimpong Boateng argues was mining illegally with a prospecting license in forest reserves.
“We were ready to dislodge Imperial Heritage from Kobro Forest when Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko called to inform me that he was the lawyer for Heritage Imperial Limited, a company that was destroying the Kobro and Apaprama Forest Reserves and in the process had also polluted and diverted the course of the River Offin, as can be seen in the satellite images below. I informed the President about the behaviour of Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and he promised to deal with it.”
Gabby in turn averred that the former minister had twisted the job of a lawyer to mean interference.
Also, some stories that made headlines in the week will be discussed on the show.
