Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah Yeboah has taken on the former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng over his unhappiness with the advice his outfit offered on his controversial galamsey report.
The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice has said that Prof Frimpong-Boateng’s allegations in his report on illegal mining activities in the country are empty.
According to the AG, there is also no evidence to prosecute persons named in it.
It follows the conclusion of its review of a docket submitted by the Police on the allegations contained in a 36-page document written by Prof Frimpong Boateng entitled “Report on the work of IMCIM so far and the way forward”.
The A-G’s advice issued on Tuesday, September 12, and delivered to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service on Thursday, September 14, which was signed by a Chief State Attorney, Evelyn Keelson, said it cannot recommend prosecution of any of the persons named in the report.
The Attorney-General has thus asked the police to discharge the persons mentioned except those still under investigation.
But Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng responded to the Attorney General following the latter’s description of his report on illegal mining as hearsay and empty.
Unruffled by the actions of the AG, the renowned surgeon said the realities of the menace will be evident for all to see soon.
“I am not at all surprised with that characterization by the Attorney General.”
“We can all close our eyes and trivialize the destruction of the environment and its biodiversity, but the reality of these criminal actions by people who have no conscience and love for the country will be evident in the near future if not soon,” he stated in a press release on Thursday, October 12.
But the Deputy Attorney General has challenged the renowned surgeon to back his allegations with evidence.
According to him, the Office of the Attorney General does not just go to court on hearsay but with hardcore evidence.
He insisted that, without evidence, nobody can be prosecuted. He thus asked the venerable professor to assist his office in dealing with the matter.
“Advice has been offered, an opinion has been offered. Anyone who thinks that he has evidence that will also support us to review our opinion, why not?
“But we will not in any way take a matter to court, where we will be seriously bruised and embarrassed. As prosecutors, you go to court with hard evidence, not with speculations.”
“So you can say Mr. A has stolen. That is the allegation. What has he stolen? Then you come with evidence. Mr. A is engaged in galamsey. That is the allegation. What is the evidence?
“It’s possible that you may go to a forest and realise that people have engaged in illegal mining, but you may mention my name as the one who did it. That is not enough.”
“You should be able to get evidence to show that yes I was there, and I was the one who engaged people to do that. We do this work based on evidence, not on conjectures,” Alfred Tuah-Yeboah said.
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