Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) Charles Cromwell Nanabanyin Onuawonto Bissue has resigned his position.
In a letter dated March 1, 2019 and addressed to the Office of the President, Mr. Bissue attributed his decision to resign to not wanting to compromise the work of the IMCIM.
His resignation comes on the back of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s latest exposé, which captures Mr. Bissue on tape receiving money to fast track documentation for an alleged mining company.
The IMCIM was established by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2017 as part of efforts to regulate activities of small-scale mining and prevent illegal mining.
Amongst other things, the IMCIM is expected to ensure that all small-scale miners acquire appropriate documentation to mine legally, so as not to have any one beat the system.
The establishment of the IMCIM was part of a greater plan by government to clamp down on illegal mining.
However, some persons who work with the IMCIM as well as security personnel were caught on tape in the Anas documentary taking bribes to facilitate illegal mining, of which Mr. Bissue is part.
Following the release of the exposé, many have called for his dismissal.
Mr. Bissue has, however, taken the decision to resign from his position to allow investigations into the matter.
“I have taken notice of the content of the latest documentary by Tiger Eye P.I titled ” Galamsey Fraud.” I would like to state , at the very outset, that I am innocent of the allegations leveled against me in the documentary, as I was not and have not engaged in any acts of corruption, criminality or misconduct.
“However, in the interest of transparency and accountability, and so as not to compromise the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), I have informed the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Chairperson of the IMCIM, of my decision to step aside from my position as Secretary of the Committee, pending an investigation into the allegations,” Mr. Bissue noted.
According to him, he is prepared to make himself available for questioning regarding the matter at hand.
“I call for such an investigation, and I am prepared to avail myself at all times to the investigation process. I am confident that at the end of it all, I will be exonerated, and my good name will be preserved.”
However, it is yet to be seen what government plans to do regarding the issue, as Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah indicated earlier that government is yet to see raw files of the Anas exposé.
By Irene Amesimeku| 3news.com|Ghana