The Attorney-General of Ghana, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has disclosed that Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has not presented sufficient evidence to support his report on illegal mining.
As a result, the Attorney-General has advised against prosecuting individuals indicted in the report due to the lack of substantial evidence.
In a statement dated September 12, 2023, and delivered to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service on September 14, 2023, the Attorney-General’s office emphasized that attempts to obtain further information from Professor Frimpong-Boateng to substantiate the allegations and assist in further investigations proved unfruitful.
The Professor declined to provide additional information to the police, asserting that his report was an embodiment of his statement and contained all the necessary information on the allegations.
The Attorney-General’s advice also revealed that investigations conducted by the Police failed to uncover any evidence supporting the allegations made by Professor Frimpong-Boateng against individuals mentioned in his report.
Consequently, the allegations were deemed “bare” and insufficient to warrant criminal charges against the accused individuals.
Regarding specific individuals mentioned in the report, the Attorney-General’s office noted that there was no indication that John Ofori Atta was interviewed or had his statement taken by the police. Furthermore, there was no statement from Mr. Ekow Ewusi on the police docket.
The Attorney-General instructed the Police to conclude their investigations into this matter and provide a comprehensive report.
The Attorney-General’s advice concluded by stating, “In the absence of any evidence on the docket in support of any of the allegations of illegal mining activities, we are unable to recommend the prosecution of any of the persons cited in the Report. They should, therefore, be discharged. We, however, await the outcome of the investigations conducted in the case involving Seth Mantey, John Ofori Atta, and Ekow Ewusi.”
This development stresses the challenges in pursuing legal action in cases of alleged illegal mining. The discharged individuals will now await the results of ongoing investigations to determine their legal status in the matter.
