The controversy surrounding the alleged illegal mining activities at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's private residence in Kyebi in the Eastern Region, continues as former Environment Minister, Prof Frimpong-Boateng, has re-affirmed his claims despite a denial by the presidency and chiefs of Kyebi.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng's leaked report to the presidency detailed the destruction of portions of the President's garden by illegal miners.
However, the government’s spokesperson for administration and security, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, refuted Professor Frimpong-Boateng’s claims that the president’s private home in Kyebi’s was affected by illegal mining.
Palgrave Boakye-Danquah claimed that there has never been any illegal mining at the compound.
“The claim that people are illegally mining in the backyard of the President’s residence in Kyebi is false and untrue, the media should go there and verify for themselves.”I’ve often wondered how people in high positions could degrade themselves to the point of lying,” Palgrave Boakye-Danquah told GTV.
In response to the presidency’s dismissal of his allegations, Prof Frimpong-Boateng has come forward with further revelations, maintaining that the illegal activities did occur.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News on June 7, 2023, he stated that a team was dispatched, including excavators, to restore the vegetation after learning about the invasion of the president's garden by illegal miners.
“I am saying that it happened, we were called by the caretaker that somebody was doing something illegal on a field close to the garden, the president was not in town so we should come there and rectify things. This was just about three-four years ago.
“So, we took an excavator and a bulldozer to level the place, and vegetated the place… I wasn’t there myself but there was a team, a team went there and they verified, the person who called us is there ; he is alive you know, go find out from him whether what we are saying is true or not. I mentioned the name in that report so I don’t want to go to that report.
“What I am saying is that it happened. Listen, if we vegetated there, that field if we had planted cocoa, it would have been yielding fruits by now after three-four years, so, it is not that you go there and you will find pits…it happened four years ago, the place was cleared and vegetated. What I am saying is that it happened, so that is what I am saying for now,” he said.
The former chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) asserted that the person involved in the illicit mining activities was arrested and urged anyone interested in the truth to verify the records at the police station.
“…I don’t want to argue with them if they are saying it wasn’t affected, I am saying that we went there and did what we were supposed to do, and I don’t know why we should even argue about this, it is not that we did it to slander anybody but we were concerned that a field near the president house, and somebody was doing something illegal.
“You see, what I am trying to say is that we did not do it because we wanted to slander somebody but we wanted to solve a situation, you know there was a big problem we had to solve and the person was arrested by the police and taken to the police station. You can go and check, go to all the police records, whether what I am saying is …”
Prof Frimpong-Boateng clarified that his intention was not to tarnish anyone's name but rather to document the factual events. He emphasized that he stood by his report and insisted that the incident had taken place.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng further expressed frustration at being portrayed negatively, stating that his actions were motivated by a desire to address a serious matter and not to discredit or harm anyone.
He highlighted the importance of solving the problem at hand and reiterated that the incident had occurred several years ago.
“I am very upset now, I thought I was doing something good, for the president and for Kyebi but now I’m portrayed as somebody, an evil person, whose activities were designed to slander somebody or to ridicule people, no, it was a very serious matter.”
Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng had claimed that a party youth organizer had a concession closer to the president’s home in his 37-page report to the chief of staff on the fight against illegal mining.
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