The Office of the Special Prosecutor, OSP, announced this week that it has commenced investigations into alleged corruption and corruption-related offenses in connection with illegal small-scale mining popularly known as galamsey.
According to a statement issued on the website of the Special Prosecutor, the investigation targets some state institutions as well as the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has commenced an investigation into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of illegal small-scale mining. The investigation targets some officials of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission. It also targets the activities and expenditure of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), especially in respect of the seizure and management of excavators, machinery, road vehicles, and gold nuggets,” the statement issued by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng on Monday, October 10, 2022, said.
According to the OSP, the investigation also targets some individuals and private companies including the secretary of the IMCIM, Charles Bissue and Akonta Mining Company Limited belonging to the New Patriotic Party’s Regional Chairman for Ashanti Region, Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Wontumi.
“The investigation includes the active and ongoing inquiry into allegations of use of public office for profit against Charles Bissue, during his tenure as Secretary to the IMCIM, arising from an investigative documentary titled; 'Galamsey Fraud Part I', published by Tiger Eye P.I.
“The investigation further targets the activities of Akonta Mining Limited and other companies; nationals of foreign countries allegedly involved in illegal mining; and allegations of corruption and corruption-related offences against some Municipal and District Chief Executives and political party officials,” the statement said.
Reacting to the statement, Titus-Glover said that Kissi Agyebeng must recuse himself from the probe because he was the lawyer of renowned investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who led the investigative documentary that implicated Charles Bissue and others, adomonline.com reports.
“It is good that the OSP [Office of the Special Prosecutor] has gotten involved in it (the galamsey fight), and we need to encourage the OSP. We need all the transparency that is required out of this to help deal with the menace completely but he should allow his deputies to do this,” he said.
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Former Member of Parliament for Tema East Constituency, Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover