Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a lawyer and a prominent member of Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party, has criticized former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, over allegations made against him in a report submitted to President Akufo-Addo.
Frimpong-Boateng in his 36-paged report wrote that, “We were ready to dislodge Imperial Heritage from Kobro Forest when Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko called to inform me that he was the lawyer for Heritage Imperial Limited, a company that was destroying the Kobro and Apaprama Forest Reserves and in the process had also polluted and diverted the course of the River Offin, as can be seen in the satellite images below. I informed the President about the behaviour of Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and he promised to deal with it.”
In an interview with Citi FM, Mr Otchere-Darko, denied interfering with the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
"It tells you how weak the [former] Minister’s understanding of his position is. If what I did was illegitimate, why didn’t he take the right action? He said he had reported me to the President, as if he is a teacher and the President is a headmaster, and I am a prefect,” he said.
Mr Otchere-Darko insisted that his intervention was based on the legality of his clients' actions and the state's alleged illegitimate actions against a company that had received permits and licenses to operate.
He further dared the former Minister to "come and say that when I called him, I was pushing an illegitimate point, let him come and say so. I based my intervention on the legality of what my clients were doing and what I saw to be an illegitimate action of the state against a company that the same state had issued permits and licenses to operate its business.”
“If he has his own issues, let him deal with them, but he should not misinterpret a legitimate action of a lawyer on behalf of a client who had a legitimate case as a matter of interference,” he stated.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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The respect and the reputation Dr. had dwindled the moment he agreed to meddle in politics. In Ghana, politicians focus on themselves and their cronies. Gabby has used his relationship with the president to force the hands of most appointees to his benefit, they are scared to say to him for fear of blowback from the president.
In my view professor Frimpong Boateng shouldn't have accepted a ministerial position in the first place. A renowned heart surgeon on international repute shouldn't have involved himself with the kind of politics we do in Ghana where so called politicians represents nobody but themselves. But for politics he should not be arguing with these group. In opposition you may think what you are thinking is what they are also thinking. You will only get to know their thinking was a direct opposite of yours when power is won. I sympathize with him but hopes others learn from him.
The president appointed Prof. Frimpong Boateng and therefore it is entirely correct for him to inform the President about what his cousin was doing. This analogy of Teacher-Headmaster relationship by Gabby is not tenable, weak and does not make sense at all. Why did you (Gabby) call Prof. Boateng for? Impliedly, Gabby wanted to influence Prof Boateng. As a lawyer, Gabby should have gone to court to restrain Prof. Boateng's Committee from taking action and not called him. He leveraged his relationship with Nana Addo and his NPP membership to influence decisions from my analysis at the expense of the health of Ghanaians drinking polluted waters. Why called Prof. Boateng as a lawyer but not go to Court? Gabby thinks he can deceive us by putting out this weak argument for now enlightened Free SHS graduates to swallow without analysis? Gabby's actions enhanced galamsey menace, period.
Don’t you think he needs first discuss issues first before he takes further action? I think most lawyers would do same regardless. They will try to settle issues amicably at a lesser cost than hurriedly taking matters to the law courts where the cost could be astronomically high. This is my 2-cents though.
You are a family relation of the sitting president, a well-know member of the ruling party, and you called a minister of your party, who also reports to your family relation, about a client, on an issue under the minister. As a lawyer, no matter what you discussed, you are claiming this is not an INTERFERENCE? If the state was engaged in an illegitimacy, why call the minister instead of taking the state to court for your client. Are you talking law or you are talking culture, that kind of culture which leads to always asking for favors (directly or indirectly) for people we know, when they get in the wrong. To call the minister about your client uninvited is clearly INTERFERENCE.