Former Minister Under Akufo-Addo Claims Gov’t Cooked Up A Story For His Removal

Frimpong Boateng: "Missing excavators: NPP, government cooked up story for my removal".

Prof. Frimpong Boateng, a former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has responded to allegations that 500 excavators seized by Operation Vanguard went missing during his tenure.

He claimed that members of his own party, the NPP, and the government were spreading false information to the public in an attempt to remove him from office.

He claimed that the story being spread did not contain a shred of truth and was only being spread to pique the curiosity of a few people in an attempt to discredit him and remove him from office.

No 500 excavators went missing, according to Prof Frimpong Boateng, who spoke to Ghana Television, the national broadcaster. Somebody threw that into the public domain to make a point about Frimpong Boateng. How am I supposed to use 500 excavators?

The truth is that the soldiers were supposed to stop the excavators at the beginning of Operation Vanguard, but instead they went into the forest where the mining was taking place and removed the control panel. In this case, if they remove 20 control boards today, they will report that they have mobilised 20 control boards. But when they leave, they'll bring back new control boards, repair them, and then leave.”

When we heard that they had sent more than 750 excavators, we appointed someone to go around and check. We could see between 150 and 200 when we went round. The others had either been returned to their owners or had been moved after being fitted with extra parts. What am I going to do with them if it turns out that Frimpong Boateng has taken 500 excavators? There was a plan within the government to get me out, that is why everyone is in the forest now since I left.“