Abu Jinapor
Abu Jinapor

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister-designate, Samuel Jinapor, has set a new course for the missing excavators which were seized.

Reports were rife in February 2020 about some 500 excavators seized by anti-galamsey taskforce, Operation Vanguard which had gone missing.

Some persons, including the New Patriotic Party’s Central Regional Chair, Ekow Awusi, were subsequently arrested over the disappearance of the missing equipment and accused of stealing.

However, Mr Jinapor, who appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, said 209 excavators were confiscated by the inter-ministerial taskforce against galamsey.

According to the nominee, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damango, the 500 figure that was circulated was inaccurate.

However, he admitted the committee could only account for 161, adding there is a full report on the matter.

His response was to a question posed by the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, during the vetting.

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Mr Ablakwa cited the 2020 budget, saying page 148 indicated that as part of the operation vanguard taskforce assignment to fight galamsey, there was the seizure of over 2,000 weapons, over 4,000 mining equipment and over 1,000 illegal miners arrested.

But Mr Jinapor argued the seizure of equipment is different from confiscation.

To him, the word “seizure” used could mean that some materials could have been returned since the word “seizure” does not follow lawful processes.