The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, Benjamin Kesse, has debunked any claim that he is deeply involved in illegal mining activities at Tarkwa.
Chief of Dompim-Pepesah in the Tarkwa Municipality, Nana Nyowah Panyin IV, in an interview on the Joy FM Super Morning Show, Monday, alleged that the MCE together with the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, George Mireku Duker, and the Western Regional Minister are behind ‘galamsey’ activities in the area.
Responding to this allegation on the Midday News on Joy FM, the MCE said the accusations are not true and smack of malice.
According to him, the Chief, Nana Nyowah Panyin IV, has for three years been orchestrating lies against him just to get the President to take him out of office because he (Kesse) does not support his chieftaincy.
“It is not true. Whatever he said is a lie, total lie…There is an issue here in Dompim and it is purely chieftaincy and he knows that we do not support his bid so he started this long ago about three years ago and he has been running around.
“Today, he knows that the President is very much particular about the fight against ‘galamsey’ so he feels that he is taking the opportunity to make this wild allegation so that he will get a hearing for what he is saying so that the President will call somebody and disappoint the person. I have documentation to the effect that he wrote to the President not to appoint me. He has done everything,” he told Emefa Apawu on the Midday News.
The MCE noted that he, together with the other accused authorities, will resort to legal action against the Chief for falsely accusing them.
“We are going to use the court process to clear our names so when we get there he will bring the proof to court…whatever he said, at least so long as Joy FM is concerned, it is on record and we are going to contest it seriously,” he added.
Mr Kesse also denied ownership of any mining firm, stressing that he has “never engaged himself in anything ‘galamsey’.”
Contrary to these allegations, the MCE explained that his ‘galamsey’ taskforce has recently taken action against illegal mining activities in the area.
“In fact, we have had series of engagements as we speak. People are in court, we have burnt excavators, we have burnt chanfang machines, we have arrested people, the security guys are on the ground working and we are going to go there today,” he stated.