Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, has addressed his recent arrest and subsequent release on bail by the Special Prosecutor.
According to him, the arrest is connected to an ongoing investigation into corruption-related matters related to his report on small-scale mining activities in Ghana during his tenure as the chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
According to Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, he had received an invitation from the Special Prosecutor to appear before him regarding the investigation. However, upon arriving at the office, he was informed by the chief investigator that he was being arrested in relation to the allegations and was subsequently granted bail with the assistance of a friend.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News on June 7, 2023, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng maintains that he has not engaged in any wrongdoing that would warrant his arrest.
Expressing his response to the situation, he questioned whether his arrest would solve the numerous challenges currently faced by Ghanaians, including issues in health, education, mining, and law enforcement.
He remarked, "So, Frimpong Boateng is the cause of all the woes of this country, that I should be arrested? So maybe arresting me will solve all the problems that we are encountering now in all areas in health, education, mining, whatever, law enforcement…and arresting Frimpong Boateng will bring an end to all these things, then so be it."
He added, "…it doesn’t worry me at all if prosecuting Frimpong Boateng, and I have already said will solve the problems of this country… Look at all the bad things that are going on, look at all the corruption that is going on everywhere, and if this is the only thing that bothers whoever wants to investigate, fine. I’m saying that life is not static, at some point, somebody will be at the opposite end also receiving this same treatment."
On May 4, 2023, GhanaWeb reported that Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng had been invited by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, to assist with investigations following allegations raised in a report he submitted to the presidency in 2021.
Prof. Frimpong had made suggestions that some elements in the New Patriotic Party and the government had made attempts to frustrate his work and sabotage him during his work as chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
In the statement dated May 4, 2023, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng noted that he had duly received the invitation and had indicated his willingness to cooperate.
He noted that he was described as "a person necessary for the investigation".
The investigations will help bring clarity to issues of suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses in respect of the activities and expenditures of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
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