…Destroys Large Scale Mining CompanyEquipment Worth Millions Of Dollars, Government To Be Dragged To Court
A Large-scale Mining Company, HeritageMining Company Ltd, has had its equipment worth millions of dollars vandalized,destroyed and others seized under the explicit instructions of Prof. KwabenaFrimpong Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology andInnovation.
The Environment Minister created the impression that the company did not have a valid license to operate while the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has licensed and cleared them to legally operate.
Heritage Imperial Company Ltd, the legitimate large-scale mining firm at Kobro Forest (Apraprama) in the Ashanti Region had its concession raided and properties seized on December 6, 2018 by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) taskforce.
Prof Frimpong Boateng, also the Chairman of the IMCIM who ordered the raid, was, according to our investigation, furnished with documents from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Forestry Commission among others, validating Heritage Imperial Company Ltd.’s operations and their status as a legitimate Large-scale Mining Company.
This was when Prof Frimpong deliberately labelled the company as a small-scale mining company and operating illegally. He, however, without the knowledge of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Forestry Commission and proper procedure, deliberately ignored the facts and went ahead with the raid and seizure of the equipment in his quest to settle his personal scores with the company.
The raid which was actively supported by Mr. Charles Bissue – the secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining and a presidential staffer made away with 40 excavators, 7 Toyota Hilux pick-up vehicles, excavator spare parts and diesel worth over 20million US Dollars.
The company, has however, decided to seek redress in court after fruitlessly inviting the Environment Minister or any of his team members on any platform for clarification on whether or not the company has the requisite permit to operate.
The Management of the company also added that it will publicise names of certain powerful officials within the Akuffo-Addo government who are behind this cynical agenda to destroy their company. They would also go further to expose some corrupt practices being perpetuated by some government appointees in the mining sector on the blind side of the appointing authorities. This paper is however, reliably informed that some Ministers and top government officials familiar with the situation have expressed deep worry about the development and even cautioned Prof Frimpong Boateng of possible judgment debt to be incurred by government via his actions.
They wondered why the IMCIM would rather attack a legitimate entity, turning blind eyes and deaf ears to the operations of the illegal companies as it is an embarrassment to the Akuffo-Addo led government.
The company assumed this position after discovering that several of the mining equipment seized by the inter-ministerial taskforce were being sold out (auctioned) secretly to close business partners, friends and families at very cheap cost without approval by the government or the court.
They afterwards share the proceeds from the sales among themselves. The company claimed that some of the equipment already sold were tracked and discovered in Tamale, in the Northern Region and other parts of the country.
Company Next Move
The company is about to expose the seizure of several mining equipment by the inter-ministerial taskforce are being sold (auctioned) secretly at very cheap cost without approval by the government or court and afterwards, sharing the proceeds among themselves. Meanwhile, Directors of the mining firm have also hinted that they would they would present a list of corrupt practices perpetuated by some government appointees in the mining sector in the blind side of the appointing authorities.
Meanwhile, when this paper contacted the Minister via telephone yesterday for response to the allegations, he told this paper that “I do not know what you are talking about, I don’t care and I don’t understand what you are saying.”
Stay tuned
