The Minority in Parliament has accused the police of a cover-up in the issue of some 500 missing excavators seized from illegal miners.
Minority Spokesperson on Mines Adams Mutawakilu is questioning why more than six months after Environment Minister Prof. Frimpong Boateng disclosed the disappearance of about 500 excavators belonging to illegal mining operators, nothing has happened to those allegedly involved.
He alleges that the police will never be able to get to the bottom of the issue because NPP officials and are responsible for the missing excavators.
“The police will not be able to investigate because the 500 excavators were actually shared among ministers, government appointees and party apparatchiks,” he said Wednesday.
Speaking to JoyNews‘ Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Mr Mutawakilu explained that the neutrality of the police service has been compromised, a situation that is impeding the outfit’s ability to get to the bottom of the matter.
“Who told you the police remain independent when the [CID Boss] was speaking for the government…calling people to tell them not to expose the government?” he quizzed.
He said a future NDC government will investigate and prosecute those responsible including Prof. Frimpong Boateng.
“The Minister has promised several times that they will be retrieved and as we speak they have not been retrieved.
“That is why President Mahama has made it clear that when voted into power, he will investigate, retrieve and give it back to the owners.
He added that the NDC will set up a board to manage these small scale mining to facilitate “legal properly management mining” in Ghana.
The Akufo-Addo led government upon assuming office in 2017 replaced the instituted Operation Vanguard to stop illegal mining activities in the country which have contributed to the depletion of the country’s vegetative cover and water bodies including the Ankobra and Densu rivers.
The taskforce was granted the mandate to drive out and arrest illegal miners across the country, a move the NDC flagbearer vehemently opposed.
But Mr Mutawakilu also believes the government has lost the battle against illegal mining.
The Damongo MP adding that the seizure of consignments from illegal miners is being used to finance the NPP’s re-election bid in the upcoming general elections.