Minority criticises Minerals Commission over alleged 'shoddy' mining leases

The Minority Caucus in Parliament on Friday criticised the Minerals Commission over alleged serious deficiencies in six mining lease agreements approved by the House. Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the Ranking Member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee of Parliament, accused the Commission of allegedly failing to exercise adequate due diligence before submitting the documents for ratification. He stated, "The agreements contain significant inconsistencies and legal defects that should have been identified and corrected before they were presented to Parliament."

Among the agreements approved on Thursday, July 31, was the mining lease for Damang Gold Limited, which is currently managed by Engineers and Planners. Mr. Ampratwum-Sarpong, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong, argued that Parliament should have subjected the agreements to more rigorous scrutiny. He claimed some companies failed to attach their mining operation programs, depriving Parliament of critical information. He also stated that "Perhaps, more troubling was the omission in several leases of the Republic o..."