Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a key member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, has sued a former Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, over claims made against the former in the galamsey report produced in 2021.
In the galamsey report, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng accused Mr Otchere-Darko of interfering with the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), which he led.
Mr Otchere-Darko, on the other hand, is suing the former minister for GH10,000,000 in damages in a High Court complaint.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng must also apologise and withdraw his remarks, according to Mr. Otchere-Darko.
“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.
Professor Frimpong-Boateng contended that there was a moratorium on the issue of licences for operating in forest reserves at the time, while Mr Otchere-Darko defended a corporation accused of intentionally harming the environment.
In an exclusive interview with Citi TV/Citi FM’s Vivian Kai Lokko, Mr Otchere-Darko stated that the former Minister’s claims are a false twist of facts for motives best known to him.
Africa Legal Associates’ lead partner said that he had done nothing wrong in representing a corporation included in the explosive 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 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”.
Mr Otchere-Darko was also accused of having a pixelated vision of Ghana’s unlawful mining terrain.
“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”.
Source: citinewsroom.com
