Host of Onua Maakye on Onua TV, Captain Smart, has called for the dismissal of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, over his failure to oversee the repeal of LI 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves.

According to Captain Smart, the Attorney General’s shortcomings stem from his history with the controversial law, which was approved in the 8th Parliament during his tenure as Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee.

“If this Attorney General does not go, I swear to God, they can’t fight it. Whoever believes he is a man should come for a bet. Because from the very moment Dominic Ayine sat on the Subsidiary Legislation Committee and changed the wording to enable that law to come into fruition, President Akufo-Addo and Mr Ayisi, the then-Minerals Commission CEO, issued over two thousand small-scale mining licenses in a space of eight months,” he said.

Acting minister calls for revocation of LI 2462

Captain Smart noted that while the current Attorney General might be excused for his role in the law’s approval due to his status as an opposition member at the time, nothing prevents him from taking action now as Attorney General.

“You have been in government for nine months; why haven’t you repealed that law? When Parliament approved the E-Levy, Ato Forson went back to the same Parliament for its repeal, and he did the same for the Emission Levy,” he said.

“Dominic Ayine sat aloof and agreed that our forests be invaded for galamsey and gold. Now, the government led by John Mahama has agreed that the law should be repealed; the question is, why is the document still gathering dust on Ayine’s desk?” Captain Smart questioned.

EXPLAINER: How a state of emergency could impact the galamsey fight

The host further emphasised his support for the government’s declaration of a state of emergency on water bodies to combat illegal mining.

Pressure is mounting on the government of President John Dramani Mahama to take decisive action against illegal mining, which threatens Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves.

Some critics argue that the escalation of the menace is largely due to the passage of LI 2462 and are therefore demanding its immediate repeal.

GA/VPO

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