The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Akwasi Ofori Boadi Agyemang, has dispelled claims by management of Obuasi mining giant Anglogold Ashanti that government is indirectly supervising the mine to the advantage of small scale miners ‘galamsey’.

Anglogold Ashanti is currently not in full operation as a result of illegal activities of small scale miners invading the mine’s concession.

But the Obuasi MCE is blaming the collapse of the mine on former president John Agyekum Kufuor on a decision he took during his regime.

He believes the decision had rendered majority of Obuasi residents jobless.

Speaking to Ultimate News’ he accused the Kufuor administration of neglecting the ailing Ashanti gold which is now striving to revamp without capital.

‘A collapse of Anglo gold Ashanti is brought about by a bad decision former president Kufuor took, the decision to sell a government property, AGC to a private limited liability Anglogold and take control and management away from the citizens of Ghana to the South Africans, and they not deciding to invest in the company until such a time, that prices of gold came down, and the industry looked bleak and they said that what they had to do at the time they bought the company they are now going to do and brought hardship to the people of Obuasi, the bad decision president Kufuor took in 2004 and 2005 and is now yielding fruits.

There were people who had the capital to turn over the fortunes of Anglogold, but Kufuor out of corruption decided to give it to Anglogold, meanwhile Randgold came to bid with Anglogold, Anglogold is now asking Randgold to take over the mine and run it for them, it tells you that Kufuor took a very bad decision,… it tells you that Randgold had the competency to run the company on a viable note than Anglogold, but because of Kufuor’s personal interest and greed, he gave it to Anglogold,’ he alleged.

He rubbished claims that Anglogold collapsed due to ‘Dumsor’, saying Obuasi residents do not experience ‘Dumsor’.