The Alliance for Social Equity & Public Accountability (ASEPA) has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to immediately dissolve the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) after its officials compromised their integrity in an undercover operation.
Undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in a 14-day investigation into the activities of the Committee had the secretary of the committee Charles Bissue compromising his integrity having accepted cash to facilitate the issuance of license among others.
Other security officers were also caught on tape receiving bribes to allow illegal miners to operate contrary to their core mandate to stop galamsey.
A day after premiering the documentary dubbed: “Galamsey Fraud”, Mr. Bissue informed the president Nana Akufo-Addo of his decision to step aside to allow investigations into the case.
ASEPA, in a statement, said the Committee had failed the president and must be shut down.
Below is the full statement:
ASEPA CALLS ON PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO TO DISSOLVE THE IMCIM FOLLOWING ANAS’ EXPOSE
ASEPA wishes to use this medium to call on President Akufo-Addo to as matter of urgency dissolve the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining(IMCIM) following the rot revealed by ace journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in his latest expose’ Galamsey Fraud.
In that expose’, top members of the IMCIM like the Secretary to the Committee is captured on video taking bribe from a supposed mining company to circumvent the laid down procedures for acquiring permits to mine.
Others include security personnel attached to the taskforce was also seen taking money to provide protection for people as they mine illegally and also to facilitate the acquisition of mining concessions.
These audiovisual evidences provided by Anas by far confirm the allegations of some small scale miners who have made public accusations about how government has used the ban on small scale mining to take over their concessions and re-awarded those concessions to other individuals perceived to be close to the persons in government or those who are willing to part with huge sums of money.
If this is how the IMCIM has operated, then we believe the whole idea of setting up the Committee has failed totally and we therefore call on the President to immediately dissolve the committee.
We are also asking government to subject the Committee to a public audit by appointing a special Commission to probe the work of the IMCIM since its inception in 2017.
We also recommend that all persons found in the expose’ be handed over to the Special Prosecutor for appropriate action.
Signed:
Mensah Thompson
Executive Director, ASEPA
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
