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Aide to late Chief Executive Officer for the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu has strongly dismissed claims that he is involved in illegal mining, also known as ‘Galamsey’ despite directives from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that the operation must stop.
 
He was emphatic in a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com that “I have never engaged in any galamsey activity neither will I ever be part of such illegality.”
 
A report by Multimedia claimed Charles Owusu embroiled in illegal mining activities ongoing in the Taabosere enclave in the Western Region.
 
Multimedia’s Erastus Asare Donkor claimed Charles Owusu was heard asking the task force in charge of clamping down on illegal mining to leave the concession said to belong to a company called, Kingsperp.

But Charles Owusu denied the allegation saying the company he "vouched for as having the license to mine gold in the Ashanti region was factual and there is copious documentation to prove that."

The Head of Monitoring at the Forestry Commission further insisted he has rather been at the frontline fighting against galamsey, hence; he will not go contrary to what the president has been fighting in years.

“I have personally led a team of soldiers to the same area to arrest and seize equipment of persons engaged in galamsey at the same location. The Bekwai police station and Forestry Commission in Bekwai will bear me out. My records are there for all to see,” he noted in his statement.
 
Read the below full statement
 
My Hands Are Clean And My Work Speaks For Itself
 
I am a young man who has dedicated more than a decade of my life speaking to the ills of our society and how we can all help correct it. My intention is to help develop this country. This is the mindset I took to Public service. Pure unadulterated public service for God and country.
 
I served my boss; not my relation Sir John, the Forestry Commission, and Ghana to the admiration of many whom I had the opportunity to meet during these periods. I am proud to have served my country.
 
First of all, I deny all the allegations levelled against me by the joy news publication on Jan 9, 2021. I have never engaged in any galamsey activity neither will I ever be part of such illegality.
 
I was head of Monitoring at the Forestry Commission between 2017 to 2020. And I have spent most of my time chasing illegal miners from the site and stopping illegal filling of trees in the forest in all the 4 years that I have been there. I can say without equivocation that nobody in the life of the Forestry Commission, has stopped and apprehended illegal operators from our forests as i have done throughout my stay.
 
I have personally led a team of soldiers to the same area to arrest and seize equipment of persons engaged in galamsey at the same location. The Bekwai police station and Forestry Commission in Bekwai will bear me out. My records are there for all to see.
 
The company (Kingsperp) I vouched for as having the license to mine gold in the  Ashanti region was factual and there is copious documentation to prove that.
 
It's very unfortunate that Joynews will do a story to blatantly accuse me of supporting an illegal mining operation without hearing my side of the story.
 
I hope its an oversight. But if this is a deliberate attempt to tarnish my hard-earned reputation, I can assure them that, no single evidence of my involvement in galamsey can be found anywhere in my 4 years work with the forestry commission. I worked selflessly for God and country; and my records are clean and available for the public to scrutinize.
 
This country belongs to all of us and we must do everything within our power to protect it. We shouldn't allow internal partisan machinations and personal hatred to cause us to destroy each other.
 
My hands are clean and my work at the Commission speaks for itself. I challenge anyone within the Forestry and mining industry to bring one evidence that links me to any galamsey operation or activity.
 
Prosperity and Providence will judge us all. I rest my case.
 
Charles Owusu