JUST IN: Gold seized from Anti-Galamsey operations goes missing

The whereabouts of a huge consignment of gold and gold ores seized from illegal miners who were arrested in the course of their mining activities during Anti-Galamsey operations has gone missing under the watch of Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology and Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asoma Kyeremeh, MyNewsGh.com has learnt.

This new disclosure comes from Member of Parliament(MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong who believes Ghanaians’ attention is being diverted from asking about the missing gold to concentrate instead on excavators.

Mr Agyapong revealed that all the huge kilograms of pure gold and mined gold ores seized under the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce against Illegal Mining and Operation Vanguard which is a Military Police Joint Task Force (JTF) set up by the President of Ghana in 2017 to combat the operation of galamsey in Ghana is no where to be found.

The NPP MP called on President Akufo-Addo to find the missing gold before people it blows into a scandal.

“President Akufo-Addo must call them to find the whereabout the missing gold. President Akufo-Addo, ask them where it is. Call them and ask them before we bring it out. I will play some recording for you. It is ugly! The gold they have collected. The galamstop soldiers, they have taken gold. It is not only machines.” Kennedy Agyapong charged on Net 2 TV monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

Government is facing flak over 500 allegedly missing excavators for which seven arrests have been made so far. Kennedy Agyapong on Net 2 insisted that seized gold and gold ores are also missing which must be accounted for.

The outspoken Member of Parliament two years ago accused members of the anti-galamsey taskforce, Operation Vanguard, assigned by government specifically to tackle issues related to illegal mining in various parts of the country of extorting monies from illegal miners in some of communities where ‘galamsey’ is ongoing.

He said the soldiers were falling over one another in order to be assigned to Operation Vanguard to also loot some of the gold and excavators.

“Operation Vanguard is now taking monies from the galamsey operators and they allow them to go into the forest to mine. If you are not able to pay, you are arrested and asked to lie on the floor whilst facing the sun.”

Mr Agyapong alleged that police officers at Denkyira demand GHC 6, 000 to GHC 10, 000 from the miners before they are allowed to mine.

Source: MyNewsGh.com