S$60M Scandal At Ghana's Mining Sector: We Won’t Retract Or Apologise To MIIF CEO –Journalists Fire Back

Media practitioners have stated categorically that they will not retract and apologise to the newly-appointed acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF), Ms. Justina Nelson over their publication.

The media reports indicated that Ms. Nelson, appointed by President John Dramani Mahama following the removal of Mr. Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, is accused of demonising a whistleblower who sought to help Ghana recover an estimated USD 60,000,000 from large-scale mining firms.

The publication continued that whistleblower's  petition, through his lawyer dated January 26, 2025, alleged significant financial irregularities and breaches of relevant laws and regulations within the value chain of large mining firms in Ghana.

However, Ms. Nelson responded by stating that the whistleblower had not complied with the necessary procedures under the Whistleblower Act, 2006 (Act 720) as amended. This response sparked a heated argument and confusion.

Critics are questioning why Ms. Nelson has refused to refer the application to the Attorney General for advice or to the Ministry of Finance to retrieve the funds for the government of Ghana.

In this regard, the media practitioners including NewsGhana.com which published the said news item from its intercepted documents noted that they do not owe the CEO of MIIF nor her office any apology.

The news as published are factual and true reflection of the documents the journalists intercepted.

The earlier publication captured from the facts from the whistleblower and also the letter the CEO of MIIF wrote to whistleblower through his lawyer to demonise the whistleblower who sought to help Ghana recover an estimated USD 60,000,000 from large-scale mining firms.

The journalists made this known in a reply to the CEO of MIIF's letter dated February Tuesday 11, 2025 from her lawyer at Beyuo and Co in Accra, Mr Assad Gbadegbe.

In the said letter written to the journalists by the lawyer of CEO of MIIF reads in part; We act as solicitors for Ms. Justina Nelson and have instructions to write this letter.

Our client's attention has been drawn to the publication by your outfit titled; "US$60M Scandal Rocks Ghana's Mining Sector MIIF CEO Accused Of Cover-Up And Corruption. "

The opening paragraph of the report also states ad follows" The newly-appointed acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF), Ms. Justina Nelson, has landed herself in trouble for allegedly trying to cover up high-profile fraud and corrupt practices by large-scale mining firms operating in Ghana.

Our client deems the title of your publication and the content not only misleading, untrue,  defamatory and calculated attempt at destroying her hard-earned reputation in the eyes if decent people in society but also criminal.

"We are by this letter giving you notice to cease and desist from further publications meant to defame and destroy our client's reputation.

"Further we demand an unqualified and unreserved apology and retract of the said story and giving it the same same publicity,  failing which we have our client's firm instructions  to take legal action against you to vindicate her rights and also to lodge a complaint with the security services about your criminal enterprise. 

But in a quick rebuttal, the media outlet stressed that "We are not going to retract and render unqualified apology to the CEO of MIIF.

According to them, they had strong stance in the story they had written and that their story was based on correspondence between the whistleblower and the CEO of MIIF intercepted and are all factual and evidence based report.

They further indicated that everything that the news portal reported on, was based on facts/ truth. And fact/truth is an absolute defence, they noted.

The facts which the whistleblower had brought in a letter dated January 26,2025 was seeking to give the CEO of MIIF information on funds that are due to MIIF from the large scale mining firms operating in Ghana. 

They asserted that, the CEO of MIIF's action 
in placing impediments in the way of the whistleblower, the news agency classified that as the CEO trying to allegedly cover up the financial irregularities and breaches of the large mining firms.

This is because the CEO of MIIF was unwilling to delve into the matter or allegations of financial irregularities and breaches that had been brought to the office of MIIF against the large mining firms operating in Ghana.

"And that once the CEO of MIIF was unwilling to look into the matter to unravel the truth that could be classified as a complete fraud and corrupt practices that the large mining firms have done.

"As the head of MIIF and you are not able to expedite action to ensure that those large mining firms are investigated it is means that the CEO of MIIF is allegedly trying to cover up the financial irregularities and breaches of the large mining firms," they narrated.

They argued that even the CEO of MIIF through her lawyer referring to the media house(s) as a criminal enterprise in their letter is most distasteful, an unwarranted attack on the media and a complete defamatory statement.

"This is because he who comes to equity must come with clean hands, i.e. a person who makes a claim in equity must be free from any taint of fraud with respect to that claim. For example, a person seeking to enforce an agreement must not himself be in breach of it," they noted.

For the seek of the general public, the media outlet will like to publish the response letter for the public to know what exactly contain in the letter by the CEO of MIIF.

The CEO of MIIF's letter datedJanuary 3, 2025 embossed letter head of MIIF reads in part; the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF) acknowledges receipt of you letter dated January 26,2025,on the above subject matter (the letter).

Following our perusal of the letter, we note that the procedural requirements for disclosure as stipulated under section 4 of the whistleblower Act, 2006 (Act 720) ( the whistleblower Act) and as intended by your client have not been adhered to.

"The section 4 of the whistleblower Act mandates the disclosures to contain as far as practicable (a) the full name, address and occupation of the whistleblower (b).

"Consequently, the letter doesn't meet threshold for a disclosure that would trigger the protections, investigations and reward mechanism provided for under the Whistleblower Act."

In this regard, the critics argue that Ms. Nelson's actions demonstrate a lack of understanding of what it takes to protect the country's purse and allow her outfit to invest more income.

Also, determining whether an application by a whistleblower meets the requirements or not, does not fall within the CEO of MIIF’s responsibility. 

The critics were of the view that all that Ms. Nelson ought to have done was to forward the application by the whistleblower to the Attorney General and not to have responded to it in the manner that clearly shows that she was unwilling to recover the money from the large mining firms.

Her refusal to forward the application of the whistleblower to the AG has also called to question her poor judgment and competence in the office she currently occupies.

This action call for the government of President John Dramani Mahama to intervene quickly to address the situation and ensure that the whistleblower's efforts are not thwarted has yielded results.

In turn of event, it has emerged from our investigations that the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has taken keen interest to recover the monies from the large scale mining firms by refering the whistleblower application to the office of Attorney General for the recovery to be done.

What the office of the President has excellently done was what was expected of the CEO of MIIF which she reneged to do leading credence to the fact that she wanted to shield the large scale mining firms from their liability of paying USD$60,000,000 back to the government Ghana.