Gabby Otchere-Darko once masterminded release of Chinese illegal miners – Prof. Frimpong-Boateng reveals

Gabby Otchere-Darko, a lawyer and leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party masterminded the release of Chinese nationals arrested for illegal small-scale mining.

According to Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Otchere-Darko interfered with operations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) to secure the release of the Chinese illegal miners.

“…through your intervention the Chinese, who were arrested were released by the task force.

“The many soldiers who were providing security service to your client's company attacked the IMCIM task force team and damaged the vehicle carrying journalists who were covering the IMCIM operations. The unfortunate scenes were captured on camera and shown on JOY TV,” he mentioned in a response to the lawyer’s earlier claims.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng added in a response to Gabby, “We were ready to dislodge Imperial Heritage from Kobro Forest when Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko called to inform me that he was the lawyer for Heritage Imperial Limited, a company that was destroying the Kobro and Apaprama Forest Reserves.”

The former minister stressed, “Mr. Otchere-Darko seemed to have forgotten that his client has a strong history of acting with impunity.”

Heritage Imperial Limited, whose Chinese owners were arrested, has repeatedly abused mining permits and regulations, Prof Frimpong-Boateng pointed out, indicating that in 2016 and 2017, the Minerals Commission suspended the operations of the company for illegal mining.

Despite this, Heritage Imperial continued destruction of forests and water bodies until the IMCIM attempted to stop them in 2018, which according to Prof. Boateng was the work of Mr. Otchere-Darko, a cousin of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“Mr. Otchere-Darko, it is laughable that you claim to have called me to seek information on your client. If you needed any information, you could have called the Minerals Commission. You called to tell me that your client had a valid mining licence and all necessary permits,” Prof Frimpong-Boateng said.

“I told you that Heritage Imperial Co. Ltd. did not possess documents permitting it to undertake active mining,” he added.

Otchere-Darko had earlier dismissed these allegations, claiming that he only called Prof Frimpong-Boateng to inquire about issues affecting operations of a client’s company, Heritage Imperial Limited.

“Heritage had a mining exploration permit issued in July 2019, a forest entry permit issued in November 2018, and also an EPA permit yet the soldiers went and seized the equipment of Heritage and so I called the Minister what the issue was with the equipment seizures and the Minister said they were prospecting and not exploring and that was the conversation that we had,” Otchere-Darko said in an interview on Accra-based Citi TV/FM.

He insisted that Prof Frimpong-Boateng deliberately misconstrued the interaction to mean interference in the work of IMCIM.

Read a full copy of the response below:

FRIMPONG-BOATENG'S RESPONSE TO MR. GABBY OTCHERE DARKO INTERVIEW ON CITI FM

I have come across transcripts of statements made by Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko during an interview he had on CITI FM on Thursday 20th April 2023.

After listening to the words of Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko I became sad for Ghana. I wondered what happened to us to get to this state, where a person who is supposed to be the lawyer of a mining company exhibited such industrial scale ignorance about mining laws and regulations. Going over the videos and pictures depicting the monumental environmental degradation in the areas of operation of Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko's clients, and seeing his ignorance, I am no longer surprised that Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko has such a pixelated view of the illegal mining landscape in Ghana.

Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko seems to have forgotten that his client has a strong history of acting with impunity. Donald Entsuah, who operated both C&G Aleska and Heritage Imperial Mining Co. Ltd. has a history of abusing mining permits and regulations.

On 29th November 2016, Mr. Toni Aubyn, then Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission during the NDC administration, wrote to C&G Aleska that the Company was “seriously engaged in illegal mining on its prospecting licence”. On 30th January 2017, Mr. Aubyn wrote again to C&G Aleska for “undertaking mining activities illegally without obtaining all the requisite permits and approvals”.

Again, on 2nd October 2017, Hon. John Peter Amewu, the first NPP Minister for Lands and Natural Resources wrote to G&G Aleska regarding the Dwuabo concession and directed that “in view of the fact that C&G Aleska does not have a valid Mining Operating Permit, and that the Ministry has not yet ratified your mining lease, you are directed NOT TO CARRY OUT ANY MINING OPERATIONS in the concession until your mining lease has been ratified.

C&G Aleska metamorphosed into Heritage Imperial Mining Co. Ltd. operated by Donald Entsuah. This time they settled in the Apaprama and Kobro forests in Manso in the Ashanti Region and immediately started with active mining without even a prospecting licence with the attendant destruction of forests, farmlands, and water bodies.

It was in these forest reserves that the IMCIM task force attempted to stop the illegal operations of Donald Entsuah and his Heritage Imperial Company in 2018.

Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko, it is laughable that you claim to have called me to seek information on your client. If you needed any information, you could have called the Minerals Commission. You know I did not operate mining information services.

You called to tell me that your client had a valid mining licence and all necessary permits. I told you that Heritage Imperial Co. Ltd. did not possess documents permitting it to undertake active mining. That notwithstanding through your intervention the Chinese, who were arrested were released by the task force. The many soldiers who were providing security service to your client's company attacked the IMCIM task force team and damaged the vehicle carrying journalists who were covering the IMCIM operations. The unfortunate scenes were captured on camera and shown on JOY TV.

Mr. Otchere-Darko, I don't think you have retrograde amnesia, but I still want to refresh your memory about the destruction of the environment that had been perpetrated by your client over the years with the accompanying videos and pictures from Diaso forest and Apaprama.

Even if your clients had all licences and permits, with the destruction that they caused, not only should they have been stopped from operating a mining company indefinitely, but they should also have been prosecuted, probably jailed, made to reclaim the land, vegetate it and clean the water bodies.

Finally, the [former] Minister, whom Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko thinks had a weak understanding of his position, has done more for this country and the world than Mr. Otchere-Darko would ever dream of in a million years.

Prof. Dr. Med. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng In the enclosure are:

Pictures (13) documenting devastation of the Environment cause by Clients of Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko

Two Reports by Mr. Erastus Asare Donkor shown on Joy TV

Letter from Tony Aubyn to C&G Aleska, dated 29th November 2016 suspending mining operations of C&G Aleska

Letter from Mr. Tony Aubyn dated 30th January 2017 suspending mining operations of C&G Aleska

Letter from Hon. John Peter Amewu to C&G Aleska dated 2ndOctober 2017 suspending mining operations of C&G Aleska

Authored by: Prof. Dr. Med. Dr. h.c (multi) Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng

Accra, 23rd April 2023