Samartex suffered public defeat yesterday on radio as their Public Relations Officer was unable to provide evidence and documents to counter established facts shared by Chairman Wontumi on an Accra based radio station.
Chairman Wontumi who is the owner of Akonta Mining Limited, has been making public assertions that he is protecting the Nimiri Forest Reserve from operations of galamsey miners because the place has been gazetted in his name.
The owner of Akonta Mining Limited who is also the Ashanti Regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party, disclosed that In 2013, some illegal miners invaded his mining site and left the place in deplorable state forcing him to use his own money for reclamation.
For this reason, he indicated that he isn’t allowing the same illegal miners to migrate to his new site which falls in the Nimiri Forest Reserve because he would be forced to use his own money for reclamation again.
He followed this up by sharing documents to prove he has passed through several processes of acquiring the place with the host of the radio station which was subsequently made public social media.
Joining the conversation, the PRO for Samartex, Vincent Torgah, made mockery of himself by being unable to share with the public documents which shows they have permission to enter the Nimiri Forest Reserve.
He confessed that his company has been entering the Nimiri Forest Reserve without stating reasons for such actions.
His confessions adds up to claims by Chairman Wontumi that he suspects Samartex is aiding illegal miners to enter the forest for which reason he is protecting the place for safe mining.
It must be placed on record that Chairman Wontumi has admitted that he is yet to get a license to mine in the Nimiri forest but has the forest gazetted to his company- Akonta Mining Limited.
“Now that I have the place has been gazette to me, if I am unable to protect the place from the illegal miners, they will let me use my money to recover the land”, he said.
The NPP Chairman revealed that as soon as he becoming formalizing things to move to the Nimiri forest, Samartex wrote a letter to his company through their lawyers that they won’t allow him to work at the place.
“I also replied them through my lawyers and the issue is at Sekondi court and we are expecting judgment”, he said.