Former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue had made some shocking revelations about how some group of persons plotted against him so they could pursue their illegal exploits in the mining sector.
Many were made to believe the content in Anas’ “Galamsey Fraud’ documentary that levelled allegations of fraud against Mr. Bissue, until some recent account by Abronye DC and Kennedy Agyapong challenged claims made by the investigative journalist.
Mr. Bissue recounting his experience working at the IMCIM and how the ‘Galamsey Fraud’ came about, said he simply became an enemy to some people, including public servants for leading an initiative of the President in sanitizing the small scale mining industry.
He told Kwame Nkrumah Tikese of Okay FM that his work and that of the committee became a blockade to the exploits of these people [whom he never named].
He noted that the alleged fraud was orchestrated by these people to discredit him, and have him ‘taken off their backs.”
“That committee the President constituted became ‘nauseous’ to those that were exploiting the system. So, my appointment to the committee and the work we did, denied them of that opportunity. So, all they could do was to plot something scandalous to discredit me.
“What I can say for now just not to prejudice report yet to be produced by the OSP is that; I did no such thing while in office.”
Mr. Bissue indicated that he has full knowledge of the personalities who plotted against him but insisted he holds no grudges against them.
“I know those behind that plot. I know all of them from day one. But I am not the type who will make noise about it. Yes, I might have been that sacrificial lamb but I know I am clean. Today, I still see those people… I greet them when we meet. We chat and all that.
“Kennedy Agyapong is reported to have said he knew some of them too. So, it’s not lies being told to cover up. There are many who have intelligence on these people. I know everything,” he added.
IMCIM Technology Being Wasted
The IMCIM through the office of the President deployed state-of-the-art technology to undertake some surveillance at mining concessions across the country while enhancing the work of state regulatory authorities in the value chain. By some innovation; the GalamStop, all mining equipment were to have GPS tracking systems implanted and mapped to concessions.
But following Mr Bissue’s resignation after the Anas’ ‘exposé’ the IMCIM and its operations came to halt and eventually has been abandoned.
Commenting on this, Mr Bissue stressed that “we are our own doing”, adding that the innovation and research that were gathered could have advanced the transformation of the mining sector.
“We had the technology. All concessions were mapped out to the equipment so with our geofencing technology we could easily tell when a miner is trespassing.
‘But I tell you, our own people…ordinary Ghanaians are the problem. It isn’t a matter of NPP or NDC,” he emphasized.
