A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has sued a former Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng following allegations the latter made against the former in the galamsey report authored in 2021.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in the galamsey report accused Mr. Otchere-Darko of interfering in the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) which he (Prof. Frimpong-Boateng) chaired.
But in a legal suit filed at the High Court, Mr. Otchere-Darko is demanding a sum of GH¢10,000,000 from the former minister in damages.
Mr. Otchere-Darko also demands an apology and retraction from Prof. Frimpong-Boateng.
“An apology for and retraction of the words complained of and the particularized supra. A perpetual injunction restraining the defendant whether by himself, his servants, agents or assigns from repeating similar or other defamatory words against the plaintiff,” Mr. Otchere-Darko demanded as part of his reliefs.
Background
Professor Frimpong-Boateng argued that, at the time, there was a suspension on the issuance of licenses for operation in forest reserves, but Mr. Otchere-Darko jumped to the defence of a company that was said to be actively destroying the environment.
Mr. Otchere-Darko in an exclusive interview with Citi TV/Citi FM’s Vivian Kai Lokko said the former Minister’s accusations are a wrongful twist of facts for reasons best known to him.
Lead partner at Africa Legal Associates added that he did no wrong in defending a company cited in the bombshell report.
“Their jobs [clients] were being frustrated, and I had before me all the documents they were required to have. They were doing legitimate mining, and they were being frustrated. That is why I placed the call to understand why that was happening to them. I’m very disappointed in the former Minister deliberately twisting an enquiry by a lawyer of a client’s issue to be an interference,” he indicated.
Responding to Mr. Otchere-Darko in a statement, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said the claims he made in the interview are laughable.
“Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko, it is laughable that you claim to have called me to seek information on your client. If you needed any information, you could have called the Minerals Commission. You know I did not operate mining information services”.
He also accused Mr. Otchere-Darko of having a pixelated view of the illegal mining landscape in Ghana.
“Going over the videos and pictures depicting the monumental environmental degradation in the
areas of operation of Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko’s clients, and seeing his ignorance, I am no
longer surprised that Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko has such a pixelated view of the illegal mining
landscape in Ghana”.
