Renowned Ghanaian journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako never called former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng to order him about the operations of C&G Aleska, Gordon Asare-Bediako has clarified.
In setting the records straight on Pak MediaGh, Gordon Asare-Bediako stated that Abdul Malik Kweku Baako had only tried to arrange a meeting between Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng and owners of C&G Aleska but the former had misconstrued it mean that it was an attempt to order him about.
In page 16 of the report released by Prof. Frimpong Boateng he talks about how his personality was attacked by Kweku Baaku and his New Crusading Guide newspaper just because he was determined to fight illegal small-scale mining.
Prof. Boateng in the report bemoaned how the seasoned journalist published unsavoury comments about him.
“The IMCIM organized its task force and a complex operation to dislodge Donald Entsuah and his C&G Aleska from Diaso forest. The jubilation in the communities around the concession was ecstatic. Naturally, Donald Entsuah and his friend were not happy with what the IMCIM did.
“I, in particular, came under severe attack. a fierce attacker was Mr. Kweku Baako, a journalist who personally called to inform me that the managers of C&G were his friends, Mr. Kweku Baako Published unsavoury things about me at the time,” parts of the report on illegal mining sent to the Chief of Staff of the Presidency said.
But responding to the Prof. Boateng’s report, Gordon Asare-Bediako explained that the owners of C&G Aleska were good friends of Kweku Baaku and wanted to build on it to arrangement for a meeting with Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng.
He also revealed C&G Aleska have been legally operating in Ghana since the era of former President John Mahama and there is no way Kweku Baako would support them to operate illegally in the forest.
“The owners of the mining company happen to know Abdul Kweku Baako and he (Baako) as media personnel knows you Prof. Frimpong Boateng for so many years. He leverages on that and tries to call and arrange a meeting between the company and the minister. That is all but you turn around to write a statement claiming that when Kweku called you and ordered you to return the revoked license of the company so that they can go back and continue doing something illegal”, he said.