Bongo Member of Parliament (MP), Edward Bawa, is expected to file an urgent question in Parliament today, to demand details of the report on the Appiatse explosion.

The Member of the Mines and Energy Committee has questioned the propriety of the Lands Ministry’s sanctions on explosives company, Maxam, when details of the reports from two committees set up to investigate the explosion are shielded from Parliament and the public.

Mr. Bawa’s sentiments come after the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry slapped the Company with a $1million fine, in addition to a $5million payment. The Ministry explained that Maxam Company Limited breached safety protocols while transporting the explosives that later devastated the Appiatse community.

The lawmaker believes that steps taken by the Ministry do not show transparency; therefore, there is the need for the details of the report to be made available to Parliament.

“I am going to file a question immediately asking that the Minister makes the two reports available to, at least, Parliament. Until we see the reports, none of us will be able to really make an assessment. What are the things, who and who were culpable? It is the report that will bring that,” he told JoyNews on Tuesday, February 8.

According to him, it is only fair that the Ministry attaches the reports for people to better appreciate what called for the sanctions against the various companies.

He argued that “every Ghanaian in the spirit of transparency will want to know that these were the findings of the two committees that were set and that the measures that have been taken by the government commensurate with the crimes or the breaches that were occasioned.”

Maxam Ghana Limited fined

The Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, fined Maxam Ghana Limited $6 million for regulatory breaches regarding the manufacture, storage, and transportation of explosives for mining and other civil works.

The breaches were identified by a three-member committee set up by government to investigate the explosion that occurred at Appiatse in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region, which killed some fourteen people and razed the entire community down.

The Company has since denied any wrongdoings as have been highlighted by the Lands Ministry.

It says it did not breach the Minerals and Mining Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2177) as indicated by a three-member committee set up by the Lands Ministry to investigate the cause of the Appiatse explosion.

The Company also stated that the supposed breaches with respect to manufacturing, storage, and transportation of explosives for mining and other civil works, as noted by government were not the cause of the explosion that claimed 14 lives and razed the entire Appiatse community down.

“None of these breaches was the cause of the tragic road accident and all of them relate to the transport carried out by Arthaans Logistics. Based on a different interpretation of the applicable regulations, we believe that Maxam has not committed any of those breaches,” Maxam in its statement dated February 8, read.