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07.01.2020 General News

Report On Alleged Rosewood Smuggling Presented To Lands Minister

Report On Alleged Rosewood Smuggling Presented To Lands Minister
07.01.2020 LISTEN

A seven-member committee tasked to investigate the alleged smuggling of rosewood for export has presented its final report to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, in Accra.

Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, set up the Committee headed by a Deputy Minister of the Ministry, Benito Owusu-Bio in August last year [2019] to investigate illegal rosewood smuggling.

This followed the US-based Environmental Investigation Agency's (EIA) publication accusing the government of failing to clamp down on illegal rosewood export despite the ban on the commodity.

Receiving the Committee’s report at a brief ceremony at the Ministry, in Accra on Monday, Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh, the Sector Minister, said his outfit will carefully study the report and take concrete decisions on the various recommendations outlined in it.

He said the media will be informed in due course details of the report and decisions that will be taken by the government.

The sector Minister lauded the Committee chaired by Mr. Owusu-Bio for their work.

The Committee was tasked to investigate allegations of corruption as reported in the IEA’s publication, examine all anomalies with respect to rosewood salvage permit, transportation and export trade and make recommendations for appropriate action(s) to be taken to halt the illegality, if any.

Members of the Committee are supposed to speak with relevant stakeholders within the Rosewood value chain to identify issues and challenges, in order to apply the requisite remedies.

---citinewsroom

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