The former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has said, if he was a thief, he would have been of the very wealthy people in the country.
Addressing corruption-related issues related to expenditures by the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, which he chaired, Prof Frimpong-Boateng shared his firm belief that if he were involved in illegal activities, he would have enriched himself with wealth.
“If I were a thief, I would be one of the very wealthy people in this country. If we all thought about Ghana and had the best interests of this country at heart, we would not be where we are now,” he told TV3.
Following the ongoing investigation conducted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Prof Frimpong-Boateng was invited to address corruption-related matters on the back of the report he spearheaded on activities of small-scale mining in the country.
Following his appearance, the former minister was granted a GH¢2 million bail by the OSP.
In an interview with 3news, the renowned surgeon provided a full account of his invitation to the OSP’s office on May 15, 2023, which culminated in his arrest and subsequent bail.
“We waited at the lobby down there, and that was my first time in that building.
“We arrived around 10 o’clock, waiting for my lawyer. When he came, we were taken upstairs to the 7th floor, where the office is, and then we were ushered into a room. I was given a chair, and opposite me was the Chief Investigator.
“On my right, there were my two lawyers, and then some officers from that office.
“So, as soon as I sat down, the Chief Investigator came to me. I was sitting down, and then he put his left hand on my right shoulder and said, ‘Professor, you are under arrest.’
“Why? He said they are investigating corruption and corruption-related activities of the IMCIM that I was chairman of. Any specific thing I had done? No, they are just doing their investigations, but all the same, I was under arrest,” Prof. Frimpong Boateng said.
Prof. Boateng said, he found the arrest “strange,” considering preceding events, including some lawsuits brought against him.
He further revealed that he was subjected to two hours of investigation at the OSP’s office before being granted a GHC2 million bail.
“They did not even suggest self-recognizance bail. I needed somebody to bail me. So, a friend of mine was down there, and he came up and bailed me, and so I left, and they went with my friend to his house,” he stressed.
He added that he is expected to report back to the OSP for further investigation.
