The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Exton Cubic Group Limited, Sammy Gyamfi has expressed shock at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after a press release that his outfit has no permit to mine bauxite at Nyinahini in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, it is embarrassing that a country which practices rule of law has denied Exton Cubic Group Limited the natural justice by giving the company an opportunity to defend itself in the ongoing mêlée surrounding the Nyinahini bauxite.
Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Sammy Gyamfi bemoaned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been unfair to the local Ghanaian company for revoking its permit to prospect on the site without any provocation.
“What EPA has done is very unfair to us. At least in law, before you punish somebody, you have to give the person the chance to defend himself before passing judgment and this is what the lawyers call it natural justice. Ask EPA if they have called us into a meeting to hear our side of the story when the news came out in the media,” he enquired.
He insisted it is not true that EPA has written to Exton Cubic Group Limited demanding explanations on the allegations levelled against the company; thus, the only letter Exton Cubic Group claimed to have seen is the press release in the news, but wondered if it is the new practice of EPA to revoke license through press releases.
He asserted that Exton Cubic Group Limited has written to the EPA twice this year on 30th March and 18th June 2017 regarding the process of acquiring the permit to mine the bauxite at Nyinahini but no response has come from the EPA.
He emphasized that even though Exton Cubic has no permit to exploit the bauxite, it is an undeniable fact that the company has the permit to prospect on the site while process is underway to attain the permit to exploit the bauxite.
He maintained that the EPA has not gone to the site to attest to the allegation before revoking the permit to prospect on the land.
“ . . when the issue broke out, EPA has not gone to the site to see if we are indeed exploiting the site and without even calling us to hear our side of the issue. EPA has taken ultimate decision against us without hearing from us,” he asserted.
“EPA’s decision to revoke our license is flawed . . . there is no machine on the site exploiting the bauxite. Mining has not begun because we are not through with the documentations; legally we are not done to begin the exploitation. What we were going to do was prospecting,” he indicated.
He emphasized that the EPA based on wrong information to revoke the permit of Exton Cubic Group limited; reiterating that EPA has the information which allows the company to prospect on the land in question.
“Meanwhile, EPA has the information that we are going to do prospecting; the officers know because we are working with them. So suppose we did not inform the EPA on the day we were going to do the prospecting, do you go on radio stations to revoke our license? You give the opportunity to the person to remedy that anomaly and fill in the information gap,” he opined.
He bemoaned “our permit is not being revoked because we are doing mining and degraded the environment and our permit is not being revoked because we have done something untoward. They are only saying we didn’t tell the EPA we are going to do prospecting and so they have revoked our permit.”
He claimed many foreign companies in the mining sector in Ghana are always given the opportunity to correct their mistakes in the exploitation; wondering why the same cannot be given to a local company which has not started the exploitation.
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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NDC is a satanic party. No rational being will support this criminal party. Apart from Amidu, they are all criminals. Akuffo Addo is giving them a breathing space. The American Embassy and British Commissioner are clamouring for prosecution of the corrupt former government official, but Akuffo Addo is afraid to do that.
this is what I called indiscipline and lawlessness in Ghana. Is this Ibrahim Mahama wants to tell all Ghanaians that if one applies to go to a school and the authorities do not send him/her admission letter that person can take his/her belongings and just go to the school and start learning? Does Ibrahim wants to tell us that someone can apply for employment in his company and immediately start work on his/her own even though his company has not officially written to that person to do so? What kind of behavior is this?
Massa; What BULL >>>>>S is this !!!!! ; so an authorithy does not respond to your letters and so that gives you the arrogant authorithy to just go ahead and flout the law ; did this idiotic company make any efforts to go and discuss the issue with EPA ; this tells you how shallow minded this Ibrahim Mahama family are because both companies belongs to the Mahama family who think Ghana belongs to them .
a new sheriff is in town. new king new law. corrupt maama was giving away the resources of thc country for cheap. that time is gone
I thought you said you have permit. The chicken are coming home........ ***barred word***!
Iron pass iron.Go and bring your ***barred word*** brother to come and give the nation's assets for free.Naniame iron pass iron
Why are he and his big brother very greedy like that? Did Chairman Wontumi too asked him to issue the dud cheques? Hiding behind politics to perpetrate criminality
And where in the law is it written that a non-response from the EPA means approval to mine. Do you now see the shallow level of your reasoning ability. This is what happens when you allow greed to consume your soul. Away with you greeeeeeed
IF THEY DIDN'T RESPOND TO YOUR LETTER DOES THAT MEAN YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MINE? THIS IS COMMON SENSE.THIS IS THE RESULTS WHEN YOU SLEEP WITH PEOPLE'S WIFE.