Galamsey Report: Capt. Koda has no hand in releasing my excavators – Asene Akroso MP

1. 27th
April 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO ALL MEDIA AGENCIES.
REJOINDER: FALSE STATEMENTS CONCERNING HON. GEORGE KWAME
ABOAGYE, IN RELATION TO PROFESSOR FRIMPONG BOATENG’S
REPORT ON ILLEGAL MINING ET AL.
I, Honourable George Kwame Aboagye, Member of Parliament for Asene Akroso
Manso, have taken notice of spawns of false and egregious allegations against my
person that have emanated from the report of Professor Frimpong Boateng on
illegal mining activities in Ghana.
Being an active and upright businessman from 1988 until I became a Member of
Parliament in 2017, my reputation has remained sacrosanct to me, and I have
taken every necessary step to protect my integrity over the years.
As part of my business, I have participated in legal and regulated artisanal and
small-scale mining. I have been associated with Kocbad Ventures Limited and
Kesuadom Enterprise Limited, all of which have obtained the relevant licenses and
permits to partake in the mining industry in Ghana.
As part of the commendable Galamstop Operations of the Inter-Ministerial
Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCI), officers of the said Committee, circa 2020,
inspected a legal mining site at Anyinam, which is a substantial distance from the
Birim River.
At the routine inspection of the mining site, officers of the Special Task Force of
the IMCI only raised the fact that the site ought to have one (1) open dam as
opposed to the two (2) dams at the mining site.
These dams were being used as a reservoir for the very reason that there was
extremely limited access to water resources, nor was there any natural water body
in proximity to the site.
In order to ensure compliance with this requirement, the officers of the IMCI took
temporal possession of two (2) out of three (3) of the excavators on the site to
ensure that the third excavator covered the dam and reclaimed the land.
As faithfully reported by the media accompanying the IMCI, the dam was covered
within a week of the site inspection, and the excavators were accordingly released
upon compliance.

2. This is the straightforward and unqualified record of events that have been
unfortunately but unsurprisingly distorted to suit the various parties in the crossfire
initiated by Professor Frimpong Boateng’s Report.
Consequentially, I wish to assert and reaffirm in no uncertain terms that:
1. I have never engaged in illegal mining at any point in time.
2. Kocbad Ventures Limited and Kesuadom Enterprise Limited are
licensed companies that have conducted their mining activities in
accordance with the laws of the land, mining regulations and best
practices for the international mining industry.
3. Edmund Kwadwo Koda (Captain Koda), at no point, intervened,
influenced any persons, or facilitated the release of the two (2)
excavators that had been placed in police custody temporarily.
4. The leader of the IMCI and his Deputy have categorically denied
receiving any call or order from any persons, particularly Captain
Koda, for the release of the excavators and are prepared to answer
queries relating to same.
I will end as I began by concluding that safeguarding my high reputation is
paramount to me, and I will continue to serve my Country with honesty and
integrity.
I take this opportunity to advise the media and the general public to exercise
extreme caution and diligence in reporting and reproducing false and baseless
allegations that have not undergone proper verification.
God bless our great nation Ghana.
Honourable George Kwame Aboagye,
Member of Parliament for Asene Akroso Manso.