Concerned Small Scale Miners have corroborated claims by former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong -Boateng, that some top government officials are involved in illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.
According to reports, politicians have taken over galamsey activities, especially in forest reserves across the country.
President of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association, Micheal Kwadwo Peprah, disclosed this in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Tuesday.
In his view, the top government officials engaged in the illegal mining canker as alleged by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in his 36-page document is not “surprising”.
“This is an open secret. We know all those engaged in galamsey in government and at the right time, we will come out with documents of those who own concessions in forest reserves,” he stated.
Mr Peprah stated that the supposed ban on galamsey by the Akufo-Addo government was just a smokescreen to allow politicians engage in illegality.
“The ban on galamsey was just to clear some people off the site and hand it over to their cronies. Politicians have now taken over galamsey in the country,” he stressed.
Mr Peprah said all monies have gone to waste because government has lost the fight against galamsey.
The small scale miners joined calls for a probe into Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s explosive galamsey report.