Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, former minister of Lands and Natural Resources has denied claims that he is involved in illegal small-scale mining popularly referred to as galamsey.
Various media outlets, over the last few weeks have published stories that sought to say that the former minister is one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) bigwigs rumoured to be involved in galamsey.
Reacting to what he described as false claims, the former minister, through his lawyer Kwabena Asare Atuah, denied ever being involved in galamsey and want the media houses that carried the story to retract and apologise for same.
“My client wants to state emphatically that he has never in his capacity as Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, ever in any way whatsoever, engaged in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey”.
“There has not been any circumstance in which my client aided or enabled any entity or any individual to engage in galamsey as a matter of fact,” the former minister’s lawyer said in a rejoinder to the media.
“Contrary to the allegations, my client had devoted his might, attention and knowledge and resources with the help of the Ministry he superintended to fight galamsey and would, therefore, urge the public to disregard any unfounded and false allegations indicting my client as a major player in the galamsey menace,” the statement from the lawyer stated.
The Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led-government has in recent times, stepped up its fight against galamsey. It deployed a military task force called Operation Halt II who are destroying excavators and mining equipment at illegal mining sites along river bodies across the country all in a bid to stop the activities of small-scale illegal mining.
See below the statement from the former minister’s lawyer
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