Sacked or resigned: The confusion over Adu Boahen’s removal from office

Investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, on Monday, November 14, 2022, published the newspaper version of his latest pieced dubbed Galamsey Economy.

The details of the publication captured the Minister of State for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, making some implicating statements.

A video of the full investigation by Tiger Eye P. I. was later aired at the Accra International Conference later in the evening.

But before the video was aired, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, announced a decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to relieve Mr Adu Boahen of his position.

“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect."

“After being made aware of the allegations levelled against the Minister in the expose “Galamsey Economy”, the President spoke to Mr Adu Boahen, after which he took the decision to terminate his appointment, and also refer the matter to the Special Prosecutor for further investigations,” the statement published on the Facebook page of the Director of Communications at about 8:30 am on Monday, November 14, 2022, said.

However, a little over an hour after the announcement by the presidency, Mr Adu Boahen for the first time broke his silence about the expose by Anas.

According to Adu Boahen who is said to have told undercover investigators posing as investors about some $200,000 as the amount required to gain the support of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, he was entrapped by Anas and his team.

In the statement issued on the morning of November 14, 2022, Adu Boahen indicated that “It has come to my attention that a documentary to be aired by Tiger Eye PI, and an article published in the Crusading Guide on (14 November 2022) seeks to accuse me of brokering deals for the Vice President of the Republic.

“This follows an attempt to entrap myself and other persons in 2018. Substantively, I have not been involved in this act of which I am being accused.”

He continued: “I do not however wish to be a distraction to Government and the Ministry of Finance at this crucial moment.”

He went on to add in the post which has since been deleted from his Facebook page that he has tendered in his resignation.

“Consequently, I have submitted my resignation to the President of the Republic. I will however look forward to a full investigation which I hope will reveal that I have not committed this act.”

The post has since been deleted from his Facebook handle.

Anas in a post on his Facebook timeline barely hours before the premiering of his investigative piece dubbed 'Galamsey Economy' noted that the minister made some shocking revelations to his team in a hotel in UAE, when they posed as possible investors to Ghana.

He said, Adu Boahen alleged the vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will require about USD200,000 as an appearance fee from an investor to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana.

He said, when his Tiger Eye PI team met Adu Boahen in the UAE, he spoke about Bawumia's financial demands before agreeing to assist any investor.

“You mean, like appearance fees and stuff? I mean he, himself (the Vice President), if you give him some (USD) 200,000 or something as a token, as thank you, appreciation, that’s fine. He’s not really, he’s not really (like) that. All he needs is to worry about his campaign money in 2020,” Charles Adu Boahen is quoted to have said.

But Dr. Bawumia in a statement on Monday, November 14, denied the accusations and called for an investigation into the allegations.

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