GROUP PETITION GOVERNMENT OVER UNLAWFUL SALE OF ASSETS OF STATE GOLDMINING CORPORATIONS BY DUNKWAHENE, NANA OBENG NUAMAH III

A group of Denkyira citizens led by George Arthur-Caretaker of Dunkwa Goldfields Limited Properties and Hon. Peter Kofi Owusu-Ashia Jnr. wrote separate petitions to the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Lands and Natural Resources respectively for an immediate investigation into how properties of the State Goldmining Corporation, which was in the hands of the state from 2007 to 2018 but currently had been sold to some individuals citizens by the current Dunkwahene, Nana Ofori Nuamah III.

It has been revealed that the government of Ghana gave the properties to a company under the diversiture implementation program in 1995 to Continental Goldfields Limited, an Indian - Australia company to continue mining in the area.

The company failed to abide the roles and agreement on the production development project. At the time of the revocation the company was still owning Ghana government an amount of 700,000 u s dollars.

The then Minister, Professor Fobin of NPP, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources took steps and withdrew their mining licenses and subsequently revoked their operations to mine for   failing to go into goldmining and also not giving employment to the people of Ghana but rather engage in unrelated programs to the detriment of Ghana and the citizens.

In November 2008 a nursing school was established using part of the SGMC properties. The company didn’t agree to this. The assembly with the support of the Denkyira Traditional Council moved on for the college for the establishment of the college.

Later in 2010, the late Opanin Nana Kofi Ashia Snr. gave a parcel of land documents to the college. This was to enhance further development. This was done under the supervision of the municipal assembly, the Chief Executive Hon. Kofi Owusu-Ashia Jnr. with the support of the Denkyira Traditional Council.

While all these was going on the company took the Chief Executive, the Municipal Assembly and the Denkyira Traditional Council to the High Court Cape Coast.

A report was sent to the office of the attorney general for further legal advice. And a visit by a team from attorney General's Office came to Dunkwa on Offin, held a meeting with the Municipal Chief Executive. After my briefing the state took over the matter from the assembly. A witness to the case was named, late Nana Otta Payin, the Dabinhene Denkyira Traditional Council from Denkyirahene, Odeefuo Boa Amponsem III palace in the Denkyira Traditional area. He was a site engineer to the company, continental goldfields limited so had a lot to support governments goals in the litigation.

The case went to international arbitration Hague in 2012. By 2015/2016 the case ended in favour of Ghana government. Government had the judgment currently at the attorney generals and minister of justice office at Accra Ghana.

The company left a lot of movable and immovable properties which includes 

As we were waiting for our entitlements with Mr. Christ Kapoor CEO of Dunkwa Continental Goldfields Ltd, SGMC came in to take over the properties under the leadership of late Nana Otaah and George Arthur, Deputy.

While two workers were there as care takers Dunkwahene organized a demonstration to take over from these official workers namely George Arthur (we can reach George Arthur by these (Number 0597282749) and late nana Otta Payin. The assets including the land and all properties of SGMC. Stock was not taking let alone handing over. They drove us away locked the stores and the main gate and the Dunkwahene according to George Arthur, one of the care takers took the keys away. The following were the assets left at the time of the forcibly taking over from the care takers at Dunkwa on Offin office, which was the main office.

Stock at stores were SGMC files, and documents, receipt books, tables and chairs office cabinets, calculators and equipments  typewriters at the command center. At the factory house items includes 1000 mineral water production, motors, bottle refill machine, refill bottles,20-1000 gallons poly tanks, curve iron sheets (33), lot packing cases, 500 rolls rubbers for sachet water, 10 sealing machine and other items. 

Mining yard area:

 was 4 trailers with tyres, 4 concrete mixture, 2 bucket concrete, irrigation hoes on wheel with tyres, one 30 tons hyco crane with 4 tyres with chain and hock, 10 full tank hydraulic oil, without battery. 4 harrows with dics  lot size 8'" & 16"

Transport area:

10 rice thrushes complete and incomplete, 5 field harrows and other items. One set light disc.

At the electrical shop:40 bundles of quality good cables and other items.

At the workshop:

3 press hydraulic machine, 2 hammer machine one lathe machines with motor   one carpenters plan machine and one cut machine, 1 new tractor with tyres  complete and 1 old tractor with trailer with complete tyres, 2 new corm mill machines others, a cranes overhead.

Gold house: 

Items, overhead motor and tank a lot of quantity of gold waste.

 at stores:

380 rims a4 papers, 20 hps ac motors, electric pumps (11), diesel engines 80hp (20) diesel engines (4), Fena flex tyres sizes, 120 and 80 lot. Tractor parts lots, weights, 10ac motors small types, 20  drilling pipes, 50 starters,20 alternators, 10 new 17 plates batteries and assorted tractor parts and other items, welding set machines (2), quantities electrodes, 8 typewriters, bath sinks, bolt and nuts, washers vee belts(assorted) 50 packs hydrated lime, 10 pipes steel, 35 drums,6 weighing scale, 25 hospital beds, used diesel engine on thrashers and motor, 10 cassava washing table,12 tables and 12 chairs, 51 office books and a lot of office  files, a lot of way bill books, 63 students mattresses, 12 ash foam mattresses,  and 3 set of furniture. 102 spanners and 38 cutters, 15 rollers and 10 serving trays, and complete cassava flour plant with motors and heaters and dryers. One complete power plant and one transformer plant. 12 sets of glasses and 35 packed louvers blades, one office safes, 12guns and number of bullets.

Other assets of SGMC include:

Filling station = 2 machines, tanks 2 underground (2250 lts & 4450 lts) 100 damaged bags of soya beans, 200 bags of cassava flour, and 410 bags of gari. And a garage. SMGC workers social security pass books, pay rolls, service cards records, survey plans, site plans and building plans, all plans on SGMC.

Dunkwa structures: stores, transport department, electrical department, mechanical shop, gold house, security block, factory / club house, command center, powerhouse, guest house no 1& 2, main office, hospital, doctors' bungalows (2), dredge no 6. Railway oil site, senior and junior staff clubs, 28 bungalows (no 17 burnt) golf park, junior staff quarters, senior staff quarters, water tank reservoir, sick bay, market. Power line lands, lands.

Subin hill: stores, administration block, powerhouse, transport, electrical, workshop, 2 iron sheet quarters, nurse quarter, sick bay, junior staff quarters old & new (190). Senior and junior staff clubs, provision stores football park, dredge no 7. Senior staff bungalows, senior staff guest house.

Assets and lands that are within the Denkyira Traditional area both Upper Denkyira East and West should be taking from those who have illegally taking over to enable government to use it give it out in establishing the university campus. As the traditional council did for the nursing college. The old workers that were left to supervise the place by the divestiture team and mineral commission and the state were forcibly sacked by the chief of dunkwa, nana Obeng Nuako III in 2018. The action of the chief i request should be investigated. The mineral commission had also looked on.

The place is still usable for other development purposes. The University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa and University of Environment and Natural resources had done some work there and had shown interest in having a campus established for their students.

Nobody wants to talk about this because of the attitude of the Chief of Dunkwa since he had the full backing of the NPP government because of his affiliation with the party. He claimed that once the corporation is not working again then he is the one to look after these properties. It is alleged that the chief of Dunkwa had sold almost all the equipments and other assets of the company.

Sir, i appeal to your office to investigate:

1) find out who authorities that process of take over because ghana government went for abitration and won it was not the dunkwa chief.

2) whether the judgment from the case held at hague said anything of taking over by the chief

3) find out who did all the auctions of these state properties (including dreging machines left at akyeapim a suburd of dunkwa on offin).

4) in which accounts did the one who sold these properties lodge the funds

5)  under whose instruction the state authorities, traditional council or the municipal assembly that these properties was sold.

6) measures to retrieve all sold out properties had to be instituted and possibly to prosecute offenders if need be.

Ghana can’t be short change by anyone especially when these properties legally are for the state.

Government had to immediately hault all engagement going on.

Call on state security to take over to enable the place use for very useful development to benefit us all  not a few.

The current nursing college had grown from a small school with students population of 200 in 2008 and now over 2000. They need space for expansion.

The state goldmining corporation(sgmc) properties  because of the mining that they did can be giving to any of the two universities as a campus. University of mines and technology at tarkwa, and university of environment and natural resources at sunyani.

This will open up the place, give jobs to the teeming youth, and enhance the goals and vision of the government of the ndc.

The resetting agenda these forcibly take over of state properties should not be tolerated by our government my plead, sir.

I sincerely pray your office to deal with this matter as its one of the things that many people in the area are worried about.