Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, has reacted to a leaked conversation between former NPP Central Regional Vice Chair, Mr Ekow Ewusi and Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
Mr Ewusi is heard in the video discussing with Prof. Frimpong-Boateng how they can engage some party folks on some mining concessions in order to raise money for the party.
Among the concessions to be used to ‘raise’ money for the party were those owned by Mr Boasiako, popularly called Chairman Wontumi.
Reacting to the video, Chairman Wontumi, speaking on Accra based Metro TV, monitored by Adomonline.com, said he was indeed one time visited by Mr Ewusi, in his office to request that his (Chairman Wontumi) mining concessions be used by party members.
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“Ewusi came to me suggesting some party people in need of jobs use my concession for mining activities since I had the license to mine. He also told me he (Ewusi) had spoken to John Boadu, the party’s General Secretary about it and I agreed,” he said.
According to him, after the conversation with Mr Ewusi, he (Ewusi), headed to Prof Frimpong-Boateng’s office with Mr Boadu to inform Prof Frimpong-Boateng about his willingness for his concessions to be used for mining activities by the said party folks but never returned with a response from the Minister.
“I agreed and was willing to hand my concessions to them, but they never came back with a reply from Prof Frimpong-Boateng, neither did I also meet Prof. Frimpong-Boateng on the issue,” he said.
Mr Ewusi became a subject of interest after some 500 excavators confiscated from illegal miners got missing.
The Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister made a report to the Criminal Investigations Department to arrest and interrogate Mr Ewusi, upon learning the latter had allegedly sold some of the confiscated equipment from illegal miners.