Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has given a detailed account of his recent arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Prof. Boateng, who was also the chairperson of the now-dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Small-Scale Mining (IMCIM), was reported by the media to have been arrested and granted bail by the OSP.
In an interview with 3news, the renowned surgeon provided a full account of his invitation to the OSP's office on May 15, 2023, which culminated in his arrest and subsequent bail.
"We waited at the lobby down there, and that was my first time in that building," he said.
"We arrived around 10 o'clock, waiting for my lawyer. When he came, we were taken upstairs to the 7th floor, where the office is, and then we were ushered into a room. I was given a chair, and opposite me was the Chief Investigator.
"On my right, there were my two lawyers, and then some officers from that office.
"So, as soon as I sat down, the Chief Investigator came to me. I was sitting down, and then he put his left hand on my right shoulder and said, 'Professor, you are under arrest.'
"Why? He said they are investigating corruption and corruption-related activities of the IMCIM that I was chairman of. Any specific thing I had done? No, they are just doing their investigations, but all the same, I was under arrest," Prof. Frimpong Boateng said.
According to him, he found the arrest "strange," considering preceding events, including some lawsuits brought against him.
Prof. Boateng-Boateng further revealed that he was subjected to two hours of investigation at the OSP's office before being granted a GHC2 million bail.
"They did not even suggest self-recognizance bail. I needed somebody to bail me. So, a friend of mine was down there, and he came up and bailed me, and so I left, and they went with my friend to his house."
He added that he is expected to report back to the OSP for further investigation.
Galamsey report
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who chaired the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, accused some government officials and appointees at the Jubilee House, including the director of operations, Mr. Lord Commey, and Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, the president's cousin, of engaging in illegal mining activities and frustrating his fight against it during his tenure as Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation.
The allegations, contained in a report submitted to the president through the chief of staff in 2021, were recently leaked to the media.
He also accused Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah of orchestrating media attacks against him to undermine his fight against illegal mining in the eyes of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Additionally, Professor Frimpong-Boateng named Mr. Joseph Albert Quarm, a former Member of Parliament for Manso Nkwanta, as deeply involved in illegal mining.
The Ghana Police Service has since opened investigations into the allegations, while those implicated in his report have denied them.
Some individuals whose names were mentioned in the report have filed defamation suits against the renowned surgeon.
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