He also intimated that, his outfit will also be looking into the circumstances under which a company with affiliations\u00a0to Ibrahim Mahama, was granted the mining lease when his brother, John Mahama was President.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are matters of monumental importance. We have to even look at the processes, [asking] how come just a week before the handover of power by a real government, the President of the day, through the Ministers will convey a mining lease to a company owned by [the president\u2019s] brother. These are things we have to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n
“We don\u2019t rush. We will take our time to do things. We will probe into how these infractions were committed and committed in favour of the company owned by the brother of the then-President [Mahama] granting about 79 percent of the nation\u2019s known bauxite resources in the company’s favour,\u201d the Deputy AG said.<\/p>\n
Background<\/strong><\/p>\n Exton Cubic\u00a0after a series of threats in October 2017, filed an application for a review of the decision to revoke the company\u2019s leases to prospect in the Tano Offin Forest Reserve.<\/p>\n The company had also complained that it was being targeted by the government for political reasons, due to Ibrahim Mahama\u2019s relations with former President Mahama.<\/p>\n In their suit, the company argued that the Minister\u2019s decision was unreasonable, unjust, and an abuse of his powers.<\/p>\n The company, among others, sought a declaration\u00a0that \u201cthe Minister of Lands and Natural Resources acted ultra vires [beyond] his statutory powers when he revoked Exton Cubic Group Limited mining leases.\u201d<\/p>\n It also contended that, revoking of its license was \u201cbreach of the rules of natural Justice\u201d, and in breach of the company\u2019s \u201crights to administrative justice and property.\u201d<\/p>\n The matter came to public attention when earth moving equipment and vehicles belonging to Exton Cubic\u2019s sub-contractor, Ibrahim Mahama\u2019s Engineers and Planners (E&P), were impounded at Nyinahin, the community where the forest reserve is located.<\/p>\n This was on the orders of the Ashanti Regional Minister following suspicions the mining company was operating illegally.<\/p>\n At the time, Mr. Amewu came out to say that his Ministry had granted Exton Cubic Group Limited an entry permit into the Nyinahin\u00a0bauxite concession.<\/p>\n The directive was to revoke the permits was issued because the company\u2019s three mining leases were found to be invalid.<\/p>\n The Sector Minister said the company\u2019s failure to provide key documents covering its acceptance of the lease, notice of pendency, environmental impact assessment and other statutory requirements rendered the leases invalid.<\/p>\n In a letter to Exton Cubic, Mr. Amewu said \u201cthe absence of publications of the Gazette of notice of the pendency of the company\u2019s applications and service of the notice on the various entities specified in the law is contrary to both section 13(2) of Act 703 and Regulation 177 of L.I. 2176 [Minerals and Mining Regulations.]\u201d<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Delali Adogla-Bessa\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Deputy Attorney-General, Godfred Dame, has given some indications the government intends to further pursue the case of the legitimacy of Exton Cubic Group Limited’s permits to prospect in the Nyinahini bauxite concession of the Tano Offin Forest Reserve. This is after an Accra High Court on Thursday overturned the decision by the Minister of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":399889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[10447,3,15026,2383,151],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Ibrahim-Mahama.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Peter-Amewu.jpg\")