Business News of Monday, 16 December 2024

Source: Adamus Resources

RE: Adamus Resources responds to misleading media reports on mine incident

Adamus Resources plant site Adamus Resources plant site

The attention of Adamus Resources (PTY) Limited (Adamus Australia) has been drawn to some very misleading reports in the Ghanaian media about an alleged attack by persons described as thugs on the Adamus Resources Limited (Adamus Ghana) mine site in Essiama in the Western Region.

These reports had as at the time of release been published by the starfm.com.gh, ghanaweb.com, citinewsroom.com, modernghana.com and classfmonline.com. The reports further allege that company equipment and infrastructure were vandalized during the attack.

Adamus Australia would commence this press release by stating that those reports are completely false, and constitute an attempt by the present management of Adamus Ghana to escape and divert attention from the real issue, which is the ownership of Adamus Resources Limited. This release would also set out the truth as it pertains to the events of Thursday 12th December 2024, in particular the visit of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) to the mine site.

Contention over ownership of Adamus Resources Limited

Adamus Resources (PTY) Limited (Adamus Australia) is the owner of 90% of the issued shares of Adamus Resources Limited (Adamus Ghana). The company exercised control over Adamus Ghana and was registered as the controller of the mine in the records of the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

The company was embroiled in litigation with Angela List and her purported nominees to the board of Adamus Australia in the courts of Western Australia. This dispute was centered on whether or not she had the power to make appointments to the Board of Adamus Australia.

The judgment was set to be delivered on 14th November 2022, but on 7th November 2022, a week before judgment was delivered in the Australian suit, Angela List with one of her purported nominees by the name of Moses Kobena Bosompem signed a share transfer agreement transferring unlawfully Adamus Australia’s shares in Adamus Ghana to a company named Nguvu Mining Limited.

Angela List and her nominees lost the case in Australia, the court found that she had no power to make appointments to the Board of Adamus Australia and could not act unilaterally in respect of Adamus Australia.

It is important to state that at no point in time has Adamus Ghana been owned by Angela List as was erroneously reported in the media. We wholly reject all attempts to create the impression that some foreigners are attempting to take over property belonging to a Ghanaian.

The fraudulent share transfer was the subject matter of a suit in the High Court of Ghana. The court restrained Angela List and other directors of the board of Adamus Ghana from managing the company and created an Interim Management Committee to administer the operations of Adamus Ghana, pending final determination of the case.

The General Manager of Adamus Ghana was to report directly to this IMC. After the repeated refusal of Angela List to nominate her members to the IMC, the court further ordered that the members nominated by Adamus Resources (PTY) limited constitute the IMC.

Visit by the IMC

In furtherance of the orders of the court, the IMC decided to pay a visit to the mine site on Thursday 12th December 2024 to observe the operations of the mine site. This was after receipt of reports of the dissipation of company machinery and the smuggling of gold by some persons within the company.

The IMC is also in receipt of information on Adamus Ghana’s failure to pay its contractors and settle its tax obligations. This prompted the visit by the IMC. This was a peaceful visit by the IMC member to the company. The IMC member and his team met on the site, officers of the Ghana police service who acknowledged the existence of the court orders but still refused the member access to the administration. The IMC member after hours of waiting was allowed to meet with some officers of Adamus Ghana .

All this was done in a peaceful manner, the IMC did not come to the mine site with any armed persons, neither was any property destroyed as falsely reported. The only armed persons were the officers of the police service and the security personnel of Adamus Ghana.

If there truly was any violent clash or property destroyed, why have the reporters of the story been unable to provide any evidence of such destruction. The mine site remains accessible to all persons who wish to verify this information.

Abuse of State Machinery by Angela List

We wish to state that this is not the first time the IMC has been prevented from carrying out its mandate. Angela list has repeatedly frustrated the IMC’s efforts at managing Adamus Ghana. This has been done with the aid of her political affiliates within the present Government administration.

Her tentacles have spread from the Ministry of Lands and Natural resources who failed to partake in the IMC as ordered, to the Attorney-General’s department which offered her advice that was contrary to the standard legal practice and then to some officers of the Ghana Police Service which she uses as her personal security.

Conclusion

We fully trust the judicial process in Ghana and believe that justice will be done to Adamus Australia in due time, we however have to state that the continued use of the government to do the bidding of a citizen against the interest of an international company is not a good look for other foreign companies that wish to invest in Ghana especially in the extractive sector.

We would ask the discerning public to disregard all such false reportage. We take this opportunity to re-emphasize that at no point has Adamus Australia transferred its 90% shares in Adamus Ghana to Nguvu Mining Limited, and call for a thorough and fair investigation on how the ownership of the shares has changed from Adamus Australia to Nguvu Mining Limited, to be conducted by the relevant authorities.

Dated 16th December 2024

Allan Roy Morrison
Sole Director & Secretary
Adamus Resources Pty Ltd

See the earlier story published on December 13, 2024:

Thugs storm Adamus mines, cause destruction to properties