The Extraction Accountability Project (TEAP) has petitioned the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate and prosecute high-profile officials and military officers allegedly involved in the release of 43 seized excavators linked to illegal mining known as galamsey in Tarkwa.
TEAP claimed in the petition that the heavy-duty machines, which were impounded at Simpa Junction, were secretly released through backroom dealings involving senior government officials and military officers.
The group, in a petition signed by its secretary, Mr. Charles McCarthy, urged EOCO to name, shame and prosecute all persons involved, arguing that the release undermines Ghana’s fight against illegal mining.
The petition cited the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, senior military officers and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) as being implicated in the matter.
“We, the undersigned, acting under the mandate of The Extraction Accountability Project (TEAP), a civil society organisation dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability, and sustainable, management of Ghana’s natural resources, respectfully submit this petition to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) pursuant to Section 3 of the Economic and Organised Crime Act, 2010 (Act 804).”
TEAP accused them of collusion, bribery and selectively enforcing the law in favour of illegal operators, including foreign nationals.
The group alleged that substantial sums of money exchanged hands to facilitate the release of the excavators and to protect the operators.
The petition called on EOCO to establish the circumstances surrounding the release of the excavators, trace all financial transactions, and publish its findings transparently.
TEAP stressed that failure to act decisively would embolden corrupt networks and worsen environmental destruction.