The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Alhassan Suhuyini, has slammed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his response to the report on illegal small-scale mining by his former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

According to him, the president’s handling of the galamsey report which implicated several of his appointees can only lead to the conclusion that he benefits from the menace.

Speaking during a panel discussion on Good Morning Ghana, on Tuesday, monitored by GhanaWeb, the MP added that the president did not even punish the people, who according to Prof Frimpong-Boateng illegally mined the garden of his residence in his home town.

“The report of Prof Frimpong Boateng indicates that the president’s own garden become a victim of illegal mining and got destroyed… and the president didn’t do anything about it for two years.

“According to the minister, he (the minister) took steps to restore the property. Maybe the president will not have even bothered, he will have asked for a share of the gold from that land.

“Things don’t just add up unless the president is personally benefiting from the conduct of this people, I cannot for the life of me understand why there is no evidence of rebuke of any kind by him unless he is benefiting from it. I can’t understand why after all that we are hearing he did not rebuke Sir John, he did not rebuke Gabby, not even the youth organiser in his constituency who mined in his garden,” he said.

The MP reiterated that there has to be something, the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government is hiding from Ghanaians.

“I’m forgiven to think that perhaps there is a bigger motivation why the president is unable to live up to the same promise that he made to us Ghanaians,” he added.

Background:

A former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, has named members of parliaments and top government officials who are allegedly involved in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana.

Portions of a report on illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana by Prof Frimpong Boateng, indicated that these MPs and government officials were either directly involved in galamsey or were using their power to protect relations who were involved in the menace.

The 36-page report, which Prof Frimpong addressed to the Chief of Staff and the Ghana Police Service, according to myjoyonline.com, implicated the former MP for Manso Nkwanta, Joseph Albert Quarm; director of operations at the presidency, Lord Commey; executive assistant and head of social media at the presidency, Charles Nii Teiko; and Frank Asiedu Bekoe, director of political affairs at the Office of the Chief of Staff.

Prof Frimpong Boateng also accused the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, of hatching a plot to bring him down over his (Frimpong Boateng’s) fight against the menace.

Even though some officials of government have refuted the allegation in the report, the Office of the President has indicated that the report was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President.

It described the 37-page report as a catalogue of personal grievances by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

It added that whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated.

The Office of the President described the allegations contained in the document as hearsay.

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