Horace Ekow Ewusi, a one-time Central Region Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party has accused Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko of actively aiding illegal small-scale mining companies to undertake galamsey in parts of the country.
Ewusi, who years back was a government contractor tasked with carting excavators and other seized galamsey machinery to a place for safekeeping said he personally received calls from Gabby to allow his clients who were into galamsey to continue operations under the guise that they were duly registered.
An audio clip of his chat with a journalist by name Duncan around the issues of galamsey was published on Kumasi-based Sompa FM’s morning show of April 28.
He said recounted how in the past, he had stood firm along with environment minister and secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee in Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, had fended off pressures from Gabby and others to allow a company Gabby was representing to go on with galamsey.
“We are living in a disgraceful country, that people are the cause of all this galamsey nonsense. It goes to the heart of Gabby Otchere-Darko. These are the same people over whom Major Mahama got killed.
“It took me and Charles Bissue and that time Frimpong-Boateng had courage to authorize that we stop that operation, weeks later; Charles Bissue is framed that he has gone to collect a 10,000 cedis bribe,” he submitted.
The pressures, he said, started from the presidency and eventually a call from Gabby’s office and later Gabby himself.
“Somebody close to office of Vice President asked that I allow these people to go to work and I refused, then I got a call from Gabby’s office, a lawyer claimed he represented them, on several occasions I refused.
“Then I got a call from Gabby himself, I said I can’t do it. I can’t allow them to work. But what happened? Prof instead of protecting me, gave in. What I can tell you on authority is that it is not Prof who authorized them to go there but he is aware of their presence,” he stressed.
Gabby was among persons close to president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, mentioned as complicit in galamsey activities in a 36-page report by Frimpong-Boateng.
The former minister said Gabby had intervened after the IMCIM stopped a company Heritage Imperial from galamsey. Gabby confirmed calling the minister on behalf of the company because they were his clients who had been properly registered.
Gabby is currently in court suing the Frimpong-Boateng for defamation and is seeking damages to the tune of 10 million cedis.
Listen to Ekow Ewusi’s narration beloa
Meanwhile, watch the latest episode of People and Places on GhanaWeb TV below:
Horace Ekow Ewusi
