The Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana has described as mere hearsay the allegations made by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

According to the Presidency, the document authored by the former minister is not backed with evidence, despite the various allegations implicating government officials as being involved in illegal mining or interfering in the fight against same.

"Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay. It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng's meeting with the Chief of Staff in March 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document," the presidency said in a statement dated April 22, 2023.

The report was submitted to the Chief of Staff in March 2021 and contained details of Prof. Frimpong-Boateng's challenges as chairperson of the erstwhile committee against illegal mining.

However, the presidency said in the rejoinder, "The document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

"The document was handed to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President on March 19, 2021, in an informal meeting, where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM."

According to the presidency, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng's report did not have any official status and was not supported by any evidence, despite the allegations contained in it.

"The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action. It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would normally be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet. Till date, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done neither.

"It is important also to point out 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."

Read the full response by the presidency below:

Press Statement On Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s “Report”

Press Releases 21 April 2023

The attention of the Office of the President has been drawn to a publication in the media ostensibly quoting from a document authored by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, which, allegedly, imputes wrongdoing on the part of some government appointees in the fight against Galamsey.

At the outset, it must be pointed out that the document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

The document was handed to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President on March 19th 2021, in an informal meeting, where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

This was after Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s tenure as Minister had not been renewed by the President of the Republic in his second term. The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action. It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would, normally, be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary, or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet. Till date, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done neither.

It is important also to point out 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.

Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay. It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s meeting with the Chief of Staff in March 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document.

The President’s commitment to fighting illegal mining is unassailable, and the Office of the President welcomes any information on illegal mining activities which provides a credible basis for investigations to be conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.

We continue to count on the co-operation of the general public.

Meanwhile, watch the latest SayItLoud episode on GhanaWeb TV below:











GA/KPE