Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, a former minister of  Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation,  has refuted claims that the state seized 500 excavators that had disappeared while he was in office.

The heart surgeon claimed that the accusations against him were unfounded and only made up to get him kicked out of the Akufo-Addo led government.

On March 10, 2023, he revealed to GBC News in an exclusive interview how individuals within his own political party were working against him internally, including those at Jubilee House who were engaging in galamsey (illegal small-scale mining) activities.

“No 500 excavators went messing, it was somebody who threw that into the media space to tag something of Frimpong Boateng. What am I doing with 500 excavators?

“The true story is that, at the start of Operation Vanguard thing, the soldiers were supposed to arrest the excavators.

“So, they go into the forest where they’re doing the mining and remove the control board. So, if they remove 20 control boards today, they report that they’ve mobilized 20 control boards.

“But then when you go away, then they bring new control boards and fix them and then off they go. So, we got the report that they had immobilized over 750 excavators so we appointed somebody to go around and check.

“When we went round, I think we got about 150, 200 that you could see. The rest had either been given to the owners or put in extra parts and moved away.

“And somebody put it out there, Frimpong Boateng has taken 500 excavators, what am I going to do with them?

“There was an orchestrating scheme even within the party and government to get you out.

“Look, why is it that when I left now everybody is in the forest? Other times, you dare not enter the forest.

“But let me tell you, I did not take one excavator for anything and they know the truth. Now things are coming up, we know those who are behind it and the party people who are there.

“People in government including Jubilee House are doing galamsey even now,” Professor Frimpong Boateng recounted.