The Minority in Parliament has asked the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Birim Central, Solomon Kusi Brako, over what it describes as “fake fines” allegedly imposed on illegal miners in Akyem Oda.
Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib in a statement described the act as scandalous, especially when the MCE had admitted that illegal miners were fined various sums of money for mining illegally in the area and then released to continue their activities.
Some illegal miners had alleged that the MCE took money from them but later directed the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat to their site to burn their equipment.
The MCE is said to have also admitted that the money taken from the illegal miners was legal fines.
The Minority however wants him investigated.
According to the statement, the MCE is acting beyond his powers.
“Why will the President’s representative in Akyem Oda defend the imposition of fines for illegal mining, with all its devastating effects, and compromise the President’s supposedly avowed interest in fighting galamsey?” the caucus asked.
“Does the MCE possess the prerogative to collect fines?”
The Deputy Whip cited the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), which vests the power to impose and collect fines solely in the courts.
He also referenced Section 46 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), which states that anyone who contravenes the law commits an offence punishable by a court-determined fine or imprisonment.
“We in the Minority can now say of a fact that the MCE is engaged in ultra vires,” the statement added.
On the issue of the receipts, the MP stated that it could not be genuine, adding that the timing of the receipt dated September 25, 2025, raises suspicion that no real payment was made.
The statement added that while the MCE said GH₵55,000 was collected as fines from illegal miners, the Assembly’s 2026 Budget presentation reported total revenue from fines for 2025 as just GH₵12,813.
“If this payment was indeed legitimate and properly receipted, why does it not appear in the Assembly’s official financial report?” the statement asked, describing the discrepancy as evidence of “possible misappropriation.”
“We call on the relevant state agencies, particularly the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Ministry of Local Government, to immediately initiate a probe into the conduct of the Birim Central MCE and officials involved,” the statement signed by Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaibu, said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
