Former Head of the Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has described as mere hearsay allegations leveled against him by former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
He stated unequivocally that, he has never met or called the heart surgeon over a seized excavator during his time at the Forestry Commission.
“I have never met or called Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in my life. The closest I see him is on TV so I’m very surprised,” Mr. Owusu said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Friday.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng’s 36-page report titled: ‘Report On The IMCIM And The Way Forward,’ detailed the complicity of top government officials, some at the presidency, Member of Parliaments on both sides of the divide as well as top party officials who have been engaged in the illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) business.”
He accused late former Forestry Commission boss, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, of engaging in legal mining with his right-hand man Charles Owusu.
“Through Charles Owusu, the Director of Operations at the Forestry Commission, Sir John had Chinese gangs doing mining on his behalf. The issue about rose wood is something that is beyond the scope of this report.
“I remember that at a meeting in the conference room of the President, I told the president in the presence of Sir John that the greatest danger to the forests of Ghana was Sir John,” page 10 of the report stated.
Reacting to this, Charles Owusu said Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s lamentation is to settle personal scores with the late Sir John.
“Dead men don’t talk. I know Sir John and Prof. Frimpong-Boateng had had some misunderstanding. Don’t paint a picture like you [Frimpong-Boateng] are a saint,” he fumed.
