The Presidency has described the allegations against some top government officials in his ‘galamsey’ report by former Minister for Environment, Prof Frimpong-Boateng, as hearsay.
This, according to the Office of the Presidency, is because there has not been any evidence submitted to prove the allegations.
In a statement, the Presidency indicated that as a result, they are unable to properly investigate claims and allegations highlighted in the document.
“Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay. It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s meeting with the Chief of Staff in March 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document,” parts of the statement read.
The statement added the document is also not an official report.
However, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.
“The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action,” the statement from the Presidency noted.
The response of the Presidency comes on the back of a 36-page report by the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) in which he accused top-ranking political actors in the government of thwarting the fight against galamsey and also been involved in the illegality.
In the report which has attracted mixed reactions, the renowned surgeon mentioned some individuals he claims frustrated his effort and the committee he chaired from addressing the canker.
Some people mentioned in the document including Gabby Otechere-Darko, Information Minister; Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Lord Commey among others have denied the allegations.
However, the government in the press release stated that the document was submitted to the Chief of Staff at an informal meeting where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM.
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“It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would, normally, be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary, or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet.
“The President’s commitment to fighting illegal mining is unassailable, and the Office of the President welcomes any information on illegal mining activities which provides a credible basis for investigations to be conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service. We continue to count on the co-operation of the general public,” the statement stressed.