Two Ministers Accused Of Harassment...Mining Firm Sends SOS Letter To Presidency

The Herald is in the possession of a voice recording, contract document and pictures, intercepted from a WhatsApp platform of Cabinet, alleging several wrongdoings against a licensed mining firm, C & G Aleksa Company Ltd.

The items are being linked to two ministers in the Akufo-Addo government. They are accused of working for a competitor of C & G Aleksa, and plotting to shutdown the company with suspicious documents, false claims and national security reports.

The audio recording, which has a male voice claimed that the mining company, had secretly sold gold concession at Kobro forest in the Jacobu District of the Ashanti Region, to some Chinese illegal miners, without the knowledge of chiefs and people of the area, for which reason government, should revoke the company’s permit.

The paper is also informed, the man, who is making the said incriminating allegations against the mining firm, is a known informant working together with others, behind the scene for two cabinet Ministers and a top official at the presidency.

The informant, whose voice was heard on the tape, only identified himself as ‘Osoofo Migizo’. His voice was leaked on the WhatsApp platform made of Cabinet members in the Akufo-Addo government.

Osoofo Migizo’s voice was accompanied by a picture of a suspicious Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated June 22, 2018. The document entitled, “Mining Site Reclamation Project Jacobu” was allegedly signed between C & G Aleksa Company Ltd represented by one Mr George Arthur and a certain Mr. Bright, identified only as “First Party”.

Prior to the posting of the information on the Cabinet platform last week, 'Osoofo Migizo’, is said to have personally sent the suspicious document to the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Frimpong Boateng and Mr. Charles Bissue, a Presidential staffer to take action against C & G Aleksa Ltd.

In the two minutes, 10 seconds audio, ‘Osoofo Migizo’ who spoke in the local dialect, ‘Twi’, stated that, C & G Aleksa Ltd, had sold the mining concession to the Chinese at GH¢70, 000 per concession, in addition to 600grams of gold bar every month.

However, when the paper made contact with management of C&G Aleksa Company Ltd over the authenticity of the allegation, they expressed utmost shock, and denied knowledge they had any such business deal with Chinese anywhere.

The company told The Herald in an interview last Friday that, C & G Aleksa Ltd, does not have gold concession at Kobro forest in the Jacobu District in the first place, let alone have any contract with the Chinese firm or anyone in the Ashanti Region for land reclamation work whatsoever.

The General Manager of the company, Donald Entsuah, pointed out that the said contract document being brandished around by their accusers, purporting to be coming from C & G Aleksa Ltd, was fake and fraudulent.

According to him, a careful study of the document, shows that the company’s name was wrongly written.

The company insists, assuming this information was true and has come to the attention of the two sector Ministers, Professor Frimpong-Boateng and Lands and Natural Resource Minister, John Peter Amewu; who are both Cabinet Ministers, then what are they doing to get the issue investigated.

Without mincing words, the company said, they strongly believed the two Ministers, Messrs Professor Frimpong-Boateng and John Peter Amewu, have their hands in what is happening and probably have certain agenda against C & G Aleksa Ltd.

According to the management of the company, since the two became Ministers, their mining firm has never known peace.

They alleged, instead of focusing on their mandates in their respective ministries to ensure that the menace of illegal mining which is affecting the environment and water bodies, becomes a thing of the past, they rather direct their power on ‘cooking’ untruth story one after another against C & G Aleksa Ltd, just to make it look bad and create disaffection for the company.

In a lengthy interview, management insists, what is happening is simply, a case of ‘giving a dog a bad name and hang it’.

The company is demanding a proper investigation be carried out into the claim against them and those behind the plot brought to book.

Blow-by-blow, management narrated that, since the malicious allegations were thrown at the company, all the supervisory state agencies, including security agencies, have visited the company’s mining site on fact finding mission.

However, no singular wrongdoing has been established against the operations of the company, as have been alleged by their accusers.

They mentioned visit by the Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul and his entourage to the site, the Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials led by their Executive Directors on separate occasions.

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), as well as Operation Vanguard team, have also visited the company’s site, but found nothing untoward against them.