WACAM condemns shooting of small-scale miners

Accra, Sept. 8, GNA 96 Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) has condemned AngloGold Ashanti, one of the world's gold mining giants, for shooting a suspected small-scale miner, who it alleged was operating on its concession and lying about it. A release signed by Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, Executive Director of WACAM, said the brutalisation of suspected small-scale miners by Ashanti Goldfields Company and its successor AngloGold Ashanti has resulted in the death of some of the suspects.

It said some of these suspects had accused AngloGold Ashanti of releasing guard dogs to attack them.

WACAM said: 93Whilst we find the brutalisation and killing of =91galamsey' suspects a criminal act, the mining companies that have been guilty of such offences have attempted to justify their actions with the explanation that they have to resort to such high-handed methods to protect their concessions.

=93In recent times, the media and the Police have condemned instant justice as an affront to our justice system and there is an ongoing education on criminality of instant justice. Indeed the position of the laws of Ghana is that a suspect is innocent until a court of competent jurisdiction proves him or her guilty.

=93In the light of upholding the Rule of Law and defending the Constitution of Ghana we condemn in strongest of terms the shooting of Awudu Mohammed, an alleged galamsey suspect, who was shot on 21st June 2005 by a security team made up of AngloGold Ashanti Security and the Ghana Police.

=93When the issue of the alleged shooting of Awudu Mohammed was raised, AngloGold Ashanti put up a strong denial of any shooting. The official of the Company stated that he was pierced by spikes, which gushed out his intestines when he attempted to escape arrest by jumping over a gate. Even in a near death condition Awudu Mohammed was chained to his hospital bed by the Police at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for some time. The Police in Obuasi willingly corroborated the story of AngloGold Ashanti that Awudu Mohammed was pierced by spikes,=94 WACAM said.

However, a final medical report issued by KATH and signed by the Chief Executive, Dr A. Nsiah-Asare; Prof. F.A. Abantaga, Head of Department of Surgery and Dr Edmund Turkson, Medical Officer, states among other things: 93The present problems of Awudu Mohammed are the direct result on the gunshot wounds he sustained on 21st June 2005. I, therefore, calculate the percent of incapacitation as 40 per cent and disfigurement as 35 per cent.=94

WACAM said the attempt by AngloGold Ashanti to cover up the shooting of Awudu Mohammed with the connivance of the Obuasi Police Administration confirms the complicity of some Police personnel in corporate crimes.

The statement said: 'The case of Awudu Mohammed raises many concerns. The case exposes, the fact that companies resort to the use of lies and cover-ups as PR tools on very critical issues of concern to the country in general and mining communities in particular. It is expected the mining companies would conduct their activities based on the principles of good corporate citizenship by supporting the efforts of the Ghana Police Service in the education against the meting out of instant justice, which only leads to the break down of law and order.

=93In situations where the mining companies believe that individuals have infringed on their corporate rights, WACAM would advise that they use the due process of law for redress and not to take the law into their hands. We want to be emphatic that, try as they may, the mining companies would find it difficult to give a legal justification to the brutalisation and shooting of galamsey suspects. Most of the mining companies operating in Ghana are foreign multinational companies that are expected to strengthen the laws of Ghana and not to undermine the legal system of the country.'

The statement commended Dr Turkson; Dr Oheneba Danso, one the Surgeons who attended to Mr Awudu Mohammed, and Prof Abantanga for placing their professional ethics above personal interest and said such Professional needed to be recognised and commended.