Claims by the Minority in Parliament that the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie is engaging in illegal small-scale mining popularly known as galamsey is false; that’s according to a statement from the commission.

Minority spokesperson on Mines and Energy, Adams Mutawakilu during an interaction with the media accused Mr. Afriyie, affectionately called, Sir John and Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a.k.a Wontumi of involving in galamsey in Jacobu in the Ashanti Region.

The legislator further accused the President of covering up the two officials.

“The chief of Jakobu came out clearly [to tell me] that the CEO of the forestry commission and Wontumi, chairman of NPP in the Ashanti Region, are engaged in galamsey. It is a fact and a slap on a face of the president. I believe that the president is probably doing a cover up for this people because the information we the minority have is that the CEO of the Forestry Commission, Sir John, uses his office to put sign posts that certain areas are marked for reclamation, the natural fact is that there is serious galamsey going on in there. This is just to let the military not to invade in those places,” he said.

But in a statement issued Tuesday, the commission challenged the allegation. The statement indicated that there were reclamation activities close to the area in question some months back and that explains why excavators might have been spotted there.

Below is the full statement