District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Mponua in the Ashanti Region, William Darko has said equipment belonging to Engineers and Planners (E&P) will not be released until documents are produced to prove the legality of E&P’s activities in the mining area.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah who believes E&P are operating illegally, seized some of their trucks and made it clear that the equipment will remain confiscated.
The minister’s claim did not go down well with the Exton Group as attacking their contractors also meant attacking them.
The minister had clashed with his colleague Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Peter Amewu, for authorizing the prospecting of bauxite in the Tano Offin Forest Reserve.
Mr. Amewu’s Ministry, through the Forestry Commission, recently issued a license to Exton Cubic Group Limited, to mine bauxite in the Ashanti Region amidst a clampdown on illegal mining activities.
The mining company, in turn, engaged E&P, a company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, brother of former President John Mahama. E&P was to use its equipment to undertake a prospective service.
But hours after E&P moved its men and logistics to the site, the police through the Atwima Mponua DCE impounded the E&P equipment, citing improper documentation.
Mr William Darko noted that the Ashanti Regional Minister directed the equipment to be seized because he had not been properly briefed about the work of Exton in the region.
He said, the minister requested for proper documentations from Mr Amewu before taking the next line of action.
“We are not sabotaging government. All we hope to do is to make sure that E&P produce proper documents that they are indeed legal before we will release their equipment to them” he said on Accra based Neat FM.
