The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has extended its investigation into the activities and expenditure of the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee Against Illegal Mining (IMCIM) by interrogating two additional individuals.
Horace Ekow Ewusi, the former 1st Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central Region, and Seth Mantey, a journalist with Peace FM, were both arrested and questioned as part of the ongoing probe.
These interrogations followed the recent questioning of Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the former Chairman of the IMCIM, by the Special Prosecutor. The IMCIM was tasked with addressing the issue of illegal mining in Ghana, and Prof. Frimpong-Boateng compiled a report that identified various individuals involved in illegal mining, including Ekow Ewusi and Mantey.
Sources reveal that Ekow Ewusi and Mantey were interviewed, cautioned, and subsequently granted bail. Their roles in the IMCIM’s activities and expenditure are being closely examined in light of the report submitted by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng to the Presidency.
The ongoing investigations by the OSP are expected to involve more individuals mentioned in the report. The Special Prosecutor plans to summon them for questioning in the coming weeks to gather further information about the operations and expenditures of the IMCIM.
In a related development, Charles Bissue, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, has taken legal action to prevent the OSP from prosecuting him.
Mr Bissue has filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Accra seeking to halt the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption within the IMCIM, particularly involving Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.