Whatsup News can report that while the general public was angry at revelations that officials of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) were involved in illegal mining activities, The Chairman of the IMCIM, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng was busy registering his son to engage in illegal mining.
Sometime around February 5, 2020, a secret tape recording of Prof. Boateng and Horace Ekow Ewusi-the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Vice Chairman in the Central Region emerged showing them discussing how they were distributing illegal mining booty among executives and appointees of the NPP in what immediately sparked intense public outrage.
Part of the outrage centred on reports that Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s son, Joojo Frimpong Boateng was deeply involved in illegal mining operations (Galamsey) with the blessing of his father appointed to fight illegal mining.
However on February 14, 2020, the IMCIM the senior Frimpong Boateng officially registered the Joojo Frimpong Boateng to undertake “Community Mining”. Whatsup News is in possession of a copy of the said registration form that virtually gave the younger Frimpong Boateng an official endorsement for the Galamsey operations that he has already been involved in for about three years prior.
Around November 2011, a letter purportedly signed by Professor Frimpong Boateng on behalf of his son’s mining company called Symphony Mining Limited, wrote a letter to the Minerals Commission requesting a questionable mining concession despite the fact that the 42-year-old Joojo Frimpong Boateng was not officially registered as a “community miner”.
The mining form has a declaration that states: “I Frimpong Boateng Joojo do hereby promise to abide by the rules and regulations governing the community mining programme. I also do promise to bear any consequences should I misconduct myself.” Yet, he had reportedly been mining for over two years before making the above declaration in the form.
Meanwhile, information from insiders indicates that Joojo is only a front for Professor Frimpong Boateng in Symphony Mining Limited.
The company which claims Joojo as its Chief Executive Officer, has the IMCIM Chairman as a director.
The November 2019 letter requesting a concession from the Minerals Commission was signed by Professor Frimpong Boateng himself says US-based mining sector whistle-blower Solomon Owusu.
Mr. Owusu has had close dealing with Professor Frimpong Boateng and he insists that the telephone number under the signature of the letter addressed to the Minerals Commission belongs to the IMCIM Chairman.