The central figure in the excavator controversy, Seth Mantey, has refuted claims of involvement in the sale of the equipment.
Mr Mantey was implicated in a report by former Minister of Science and Environment, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, which alleged that he used his personal bank account for receiving alleged bribes.
During a press conference in Accra, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented what they referred to as “smoking gun evidence” implicating Mantey, Ekow Ewusi, and John Ofori Atta, a former Central Regional Security Coordinator, in the sale of at least 27 excavators confiscated from illegal miners.
However, Mantey denied providing any formal statement to the minister regarding the matter.
In an interview with the media, Mr Mantey stated that Professor Frimpong-Boateng’s allegations against him are untrue.
He recounted the origins of the issue dating back to October 2019 when he was invited to the minister’s office and asked to sign a document, which he declined. Later, he was asked to print out his bank statement.
Mr Mantey clarified,“the issues started in October 2019 when I was invited to Professor Frimpong-Boateng’s office and asked to sign a document that had been written by them. I refused to sign the document. They later asked me to print out my bank statement.
“I am speaking because there has been an initial press conference by the NDC relating to the issues. The statement that the NDC talked about in their press conference is fake. I have not written any statement nor have I signed that statement. In the purported statement, there are some contacts on the statement which are not mine.”
“I have never said anywhere that I have been an errand boy for some of the individuals mentioned in the statement. Those who wrote the statement have even apologized to me. This is not the statement I wrote after I was invited by the police. I don’t work for Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, so that allegation shouldn’t be taken seriously,” he stated.
He further disassociated himself from claims of being an “errand boy” for individuals mentioned in the statement and highlighted that the individuals who authored the statement had apologized to him.
Mr Mantey emphasized that the statement did not represent what he had written after being summoned by the police, and he does not work for Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, discrediting the allegation.