Yaw Sam Nyamade, the Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Supom in the Atewa Constituency has started a 12-months jail term for attempting to bribe the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Paul Asamoah to allow some illegal miners to carry out their job without hindrance.
The 51-year-old constituency who is a farmer, alleged that, he was asked to hand a contribution of Three Thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢3,000.00) from some illegal miners in the area to the DCE who was on the neck of the miners confiscating their equipment to discourage them from their activities due to the threat it poses to the environment.
He further claimed that though he was also against illegal mining, his fear was that the ruling party was getting unpopular due to the actions of the DCE to stamp out unlawful activity.
According to him he lauded the DCE when he heard he the DCE had seized some equipment of the illegal miners and added that he thought of contacting him to see how he the constituency chairman also support him all in a bid to stop the activities of the illegal miners.
‘One of the ‘galamseyers’ met me and complained to me about the DCE’s actions. The DCE had burnt their equipment so they were no longer working. He told me they thought of contributing some amount of money for the DCE to allow them to retrieve their equipment,’ the constituency chairman remarked.
He noted that the ‘galamseyers’ subsequently gave him a contribution of Two Thousand Five Hundred Ghana cedis the miners had made to be given to the DCE.
Narrating on how he was arrested, he said “When I went to the DCE, he welcomed me warmly. I told him the reason I had come and he asked me to place the money on his table. After that he called the police to arrest me.”
He continued that he was arraigned before court the next day and was sentenced to twelve months in jail to serve as deterrent to others who may looking to do same.
On the impact the jail term has had on him and his family, Mr. Nyamade was quick to express remorse over his action which subsequently earned him the jail term. He said it has not been easy and added that his confinement has affected family especially his seven children which include two-year-old twins. He said he has so far served three months of his sentence adding that if given the chance to turn back the hands of time he would not have engaged in the act.
He said he is a widower and the only person taking care of the children and further noted that he could not tell how his children are faring now that he is in prison. “My cocoa farm which is my source of income is also been destroyed,” he remarked amidst sobs.
Mr. Yaw Sam Nyamade was speaking on a television show which broadcast lives of inmates of various prison facilities across the country and monitored by Plan-B FM.
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