Anas and his Tiger Eye Pi team are set to present a petition to the office of the Special Prosecutor investigate the suspects who were caught taking bribes to facilitate illegal mining despite the government clamp down on the act.
“The team will Send a petition to the office of the Special Prosecutor, which I believe is ready, and the team is ready to deliver to the office of the special prosecutor who has the mandate to investigate such things.
“The petition says some people have been exposed in bribery and corruption and thwarting the state’ effort at fighting illegal mining,” one of the lawyers for Tiger Sammy Darko told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament Adam Mutawakilu has called for the prosecution of public officials implicated in the video.
The investigative piece christened ‘galamsey fraud’ uncovered massive scale of fraud perpetrated by some members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee against Illegal Mining.
The Committee was established to supervise the ban on small scale mining which was imposed in March 2017 when it was observed that small scale mining was being used as a cover for irresponsible mining as well as even illegal mining in many parts of the country.
The practice fast led to a degradation of the environment affecting severely rivers and forest reserves. In some cases, it even led to a contamination of agricultural products as a result of the absorption of dangerous chemicals used.
Details from the investigative piece spearheaded by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, however, point to a coordinated attempt by key members of the committee to derail the government and President Akufo-Addo’s efforts to fight the illegal mining menace.
A presidential staffer and Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining Charles Cromwell Bissue has been fingered as the foremost collaborator against efforts by President Akufo-Addo to fight the menace.
Commenting on the expose’ on Morning Starr Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament Adam Mutawakilu told host Francis Abban President Akufo-Addo must immediately fire those implicated and hand them over to the police for prosecution.
“I expect the president to have fired these people by now and be prosecuted,” he said.
But, he said he believed the president will not because “he is benefiting from that activity.”