Lead legal counsel for Northern Ashanti Mines Limited, Erasmus Papa Akotey Quartey, says the Minerals Commission has not directly responded to the company’s concerns over alleged attempts to interfere with its CCTV surveillance system at the Konongo mining concession.
Quartey said the company wrote to the relevant authorities after reports emerged that NAIMOS personnel and Chinese nationals had been captured at the mining site in connection with attempts to access surveillance footage.
Speaking on Joy News, he said the company was particularly concerned because the footage reportedly contained conversations and activities that could be relevant to its ongoing legal dispute with the government.
He explained that the company had resorted to legal action following the revocation of its mineral and prospecting licences, which it maintains was carried out unlawfully.
According to him, the Minerals Commission had not provided a substantive response to the concerns raised in the company’s letter.
“Never. All that they’ve done, particularly the Commission, is get their lawyers to file a notice of appointment in court. That is all we’ve seen,” he said.
Quartey argued that the Commission’s decision to appoint lawyers in the case demonstrated its awareness that legal proceedings were pending and should therefore caution against further activities at the disputed concession.
He maintained that any action involving the Commission, NAIMOS or other state security agencies should be restrained until the court had determined the matter.
“That alone indicates that at least they are aware that there is an impending process in court and therefore any further activity they would want to undertake, either through themselves or through NAIMOS or any other security agency or state, they ought to restrain,” he stated.
The lawyer said the company’s letter was intended to formally warn the authorities against taking steps that could affect its interests while the legal challenge remained unresolved.
Quartey also clarified that Northern Ashanti Mines had not yet secured an injunction against the state, explaining that its application was still awaiting a hearing.
