Former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has said he is not a traitor to the cause of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following his criticisms of the government of the day.
He said he desired to make the governing NPP and Ghana as a whole stronger.
Speaking with TV3’s Kemini Amanor on the Hot Issues on TV3 Sunday, October 22, he said “I don’t think I am criticizing or attacking the government, no. The president said were should be citizens and not spectators so I am offering my views to make the party stronger and Ghana a better place.”
Asked whether he would consider himself a traitor in the NPP? he answered “Not at all. I am patriotic, that is what I will say. The word traitor is too far away from my dwelling place.”
The Former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), authored a 36-page document titled “Report on the work of IMCIM so far and the way forward” which made several allegations of government officials neck deep in illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey.)
The report alleged that some government officials and private citizens were involved in galamsey.
The Attorney-General Godfred Dame looked at the report and subsequently issued its advice to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
The advice noted that all of the individuals named in Prof Frimpong- Boateng’s report denied the various allegations made against them in the report.
According to Mr Dame, several attempts by the Police to obtain further information from Professor Frimpong Boateng to substantiate the allegations in the Report and to assist them in conducting further investigations proved futile.
“The Professor refused to provide any further information to the police,” the A-G said.
According to the A-G, Prof Frimpong-Boateng also declined to give a written statement, claiming his Report is ‘an embodiment of his statement’ and all the information he has on the allegations” – the Chief State Attorney, Mrs. Keelson stated.
The Godfred Dame further stated further that, investigations by the Police have not revealed any evidence in support of the allegations.
“The allegations are therefore bare and do not provide a basis for any criminal charge against the persons cited in the Report” – the Advice stated.
But Prof Frimpong-Boateng denied the Attorney-General’s claim.
He told Kemini Amanor that “it is not true, I cooperated with the CID fully, I am not an investigative agent.”