Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, has hit back at the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong following the latter’s allegations of misdemeanour and corruption regarding the fight against illegal mining in the country.

Kennedy Agyapong fumed and urged President Akufo-Addo to dismiss the minister who doubles as the chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), averring that if Prof. Frimpong Boateng is made to stay at post, the party was on course to losing four regions during the December polls.

“As for “galamsey”, we have failed as a government and immediately the president must dissolve and withdraw both Galamstop and Operation Vanguard; they are feeding fat on the “galamsey” fight and soldiers are fighting to be in that team; the people that are in charge have disgraced the president, it is so sad and immediately he has to stop everybody, including the minister,” he said in an interview on NET2 TV.

The leading NPP member indicated that he had in his possession incriminating evidence which would damage the players involved if released.

But reacting to Mr. Agyapong in an interview with www.ghanaweb.com, the prominent heart surgeon indicated that neither he nor members of the committee as well as the taskforce were involved in any criminalities. He stressed that his team was very much aware of the risks involved and the need to uphold their integrity.

Although admitting that there were some instances where some people had strayed, he said the matter was dealt with immediately they were brought to his attention.

He queried the reason the legislator has not come to him if he felt he had in his possession ‘solid evidence’ to back his claims; adding that Mr. Agyapong had been to his office before.

“…if it’s solid evidence, he should present it to us. If it’s solid evidence, it may be even some spurious evidence, we want to know. If you’re a big man in society and you have evidence, he has been to this office before, why is he not coming to me to tell me the evidence he’s got…”



He further rebuked persons who were in the habit of making allegations against him using the fight against galamsey as a means to fatten his wallets.

“I’m not involved in any illegality…I get sad when people link me to illegalities. People who say some of these things should look into themselves; what their contribution has been made to humanity and to this nation as a whole.”