Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has called for the immediate dismissal of the Amansie Central District Chief Executive following revelations in a Joy FM Hotline Documentary, which exposes the authorisation of illegal mining taxes in the district.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, February 9, Mr Kpebu said while further investigations could be carried out into broader financial issues, the actions and statements attributed to the DCE were alone sufficient grounds for his dismissal.
“There will be other things to investigate, to see how much has accrued to that fund, if it has been used for the state, what the DCE has to say, etc.,” he said. “But those investigations are a different kettle of fish from what we have seen the DCE do and say; that is sufficient to sack him immediately.”
According to Mr Kpebu, no explanation or justification could excuse the conduct captured in the documentary, particularly the alleged attempt to impose a form of tax to raise internal funds.
“No amount of whitewashing, no amount of explanations can justify what he did. You heard him. He asked for the tax because he wanted to raise internal funds,” he said. “It’s not possible under this act, not under Ghanaian law. No lawyer can defend the DCE in this kind of thing.”
He stressed that, although Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCES) often face funding challenges due to limited releases from the central government, this does not grant them the authority to act outside the law.
“As DCE, it should be clear that there isn’t enough money coming from the central government, and this is how you raise funding?” he questioned, insisting that such actions must still comply strictly with the law.
Mr Kpebu acknowledged the importance of due process and broader investigations but maintained that the documentary evidence alone justified immediate action.
“I understand due process, and as I’m saying, the investigations can go on to see the length and breadth of the rot, etc.,” he emphasised. “As for the DCE, this documentary is sufficient to send him home immediately, immediately, looking at it with a lawyer’s lens.”
He added that the issue went beyond legal technicalities and touched on governance and public trust, arguing that the MCE had irreparably damaged his credibility.
“As I said, it’s law and governance mixed together, so it’s not just pure law,” he said. “With governance, this DCE can never extricate himself.”
To illustrate his point, Mr Kpebu referred to the well-known “Caesar’s Wife” principle, which holds that public officials must avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
He noted that in both public and private institutions, conduct that brings an organisation into disrepute can be grounds for dismissal.
“Even for a public officer, a lot of private companies, if your conduct embarrasses your company, whether public office or private, it’s sufficient for your employer to dismiss you,” he said.
Mr Kpebu concluded that the DCE’s position was no longer tenable, expressing confidence that the current administration would not allow the matter to be glossed over.
“So as for this, the DCE is a goner. He can’t survive this one. There’s no way. Not under the new JM we are living under. He won’t survive it.”
A Tax for Galamsey is a Hotline Documentary that exposes how illegal mining in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region is no longer merely tolerated but systematically taxed, receipted, and protected by government appointees.
The documentary uncovers how illegal miners are compelled to pay fixed “registration” fees—₵3,000 per changfan machine and tens of thousands of cedis per excavator—in exchange for uninterrupted operations.
Payments are formalised with stickers, receipts, and bank deposits into official Assembly accounts, transforming environmental crime into a structured revenue stream.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com