Government to hand over Engineers & Planners seized mining equipment

The heavy mining equipment being used by Exton Cubic Company Ltd, which were impounded at Nyinahin, in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region, under the instruction of Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei Mensah will finally be release back to Exton Cubic Company Ltd this week, a source from the Attorney General department has disclosed.

The move has become necessary after government realized it has no case against Engineers and Planners (E&P) for seizing their equipment therefore any further delay to keep the sophisticated equipment will attract judgement debt in court, hence the need to hand over the equipment immediately source in government has disclosed.

Further checks at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council has confirmed that the Regional Minister is aware of the directive yet to come from the attorney general department, however, the Minister is waiting to receive official letter from the Attorney General’s office before the equipment’s will be handed back to Engineers and Planners (E&P).

The sophisticated equipment, which were being kept by the Nyinahin District Police Command, were towed to the Nkawie District Police Headquarters, in the Atwima Nwabiagya District, for security and safety reasons.

Seizure of Exton Cubic Company Ltd mining equipment’s became necessary after the Ashanti Regional Minister disclosed that Exton Cubic Company Ltd had failed woefully to produce documents which permit it to mine or prospect for bauxite in the Tano Offin Forest Reserve at Nyinahin at the time government had ban illegal mining issuance of new mining permits under the new patriotic party’s led government.

Ultimatum

The Atwima Mponua DCE, Williams Darko, gave a 24-hour ultimatum which elapsed on Friday 11th august 2017, to Exton Cubic Company Ltd to remove its mobile houses from the Tano Offin forest.

He said the district assembly would order the national security and other appropriate security agencies in the country to remove the mobile houses from the forest reserve if its directive was not adhered to.

Machines Impounded

The Atwima Mponua District Assembly impounded complex machines belonging to Engineers and Planners (E&P) which were being carried into the forest by Exton Cubic Company Ltd, in the first week of august 2017.

The Ashanti Regional Minister and the DCE said they ordered for the machines to be impounded FM’s News can confirm that the Kumasi Human Right Court will on Wednesday 21th February 2018 pass its final judgment on the case over the seizure of the mining equipment by government through Ashanti regional minister and district Chief executive of the Atwima Mponua District.