Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has stated that he’s not scared of being prosecuted.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) detained him in response to allegations that he was complicit in the theft of 500 excavators and the illegal mining operations of Symphony Limited, a business that his son owns. After his supposed arrest, the court quickly released him on bail of GH2 million.
According to his report on IMCIM’s campaign against illegal mining in Ghana, the late Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, well known as Sir John, refused to sign up for GalamStop, an app distributed to regulatory bodies in the forest business.
Professor Boateng’s research suggested that Sir John was granting logging permits in protected areas of the forest. According to Prof. Boateng, the government made up the tale of 500 missing excavators from Galamseyers in 2020 in order to depose him.
While speaking with JoyNews, Professor Frimpong-Boateng argued that he had done nothing to deserve the Special Prosecutor’s harsh treatment.
“If I am prosecuted, I am not scared. Why should I be scared? I do not see any possibility of me being convicted. But look, in this life, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was convicted and killed... If bad people want to kill you, they know what to do to kill you. If people who have the power to do things want to ditch you, they will know how to do it because it happens. So whatever you are doing, we should be careful that we are doing everything in the interest of Ghana.” he said.
