The vice president of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has alleged that the mining leases of Alistair Mathias, who said he smuggles $40 million worth of gold from Ghana in a documentary by Al Jazeera, are still valid.
In a tweet shared on Sunday, Simons said the gold smuggler still has strong ties in the government and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The IMANI vice president was surprised that despite the revelation made by Alistair in the Al Jazeera documentary, the government of Ghana has not acted.
“Alistair Mathias’ revelations to undercover journalists posing as criminals in search of a money launderer have opened a can of worms in Ghana. Analysts see a web of corruption & intrigue entangling security chiefs, govt ministers & even a Supreme Court Judge.
“Even more intriguing is a link to cracks in the ruling party that led to a bizarre military operation against a gold mining company owned by Mathias’ one-time partners. Meanwhile, Mathias’ Ghana mining leases continue to be valid & his access to top govt officials continues,” parts of the tweets he shared read.
What Alistair Mathias said about Akufo-Addo:
Alistair Mathias, who smuggles $40 million worth of gold from Ghana every month, disclosed the kind of close relationship he has with Ghana’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Alistair Mathias, who is a gold trader with expertise in designing money laundering schemes for Africans, said that his work has given him access to every president or head of state on the continent.
Speaking in the final episode of the undercover investigations of gold smuggling in Africa by the Investigative Unit of Al Jazeera, Alistair Mathis, who is one of the main characters in the video, boasted about his relationship with the Ghanaian president.
He (described as a financial architect) told the undercover reporters, who had posed as Chinese criminals seeking to launder dirty money from Africa, that his relationship with Akufo-Addo is a close one.
He also claims that the Ghanaian president is his lawyer.
“There’s no head of state or president that either of us can’t get to on this continent. Next door in Swaziland, the king is a close friend of mine. Zambia’s president is a close friend of my friend. DRC Congo, the president has invited me several times to come and build a refinery.
“Ghana’s president is a good friend of mine. In fact, he was my lawyer. Cyril Ramaphosa here; I know him. I know his kids,” he bragged.
Also, Kow Essuman, a legal counsel to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged Ghanaians to ignore allegations by Alistair Mathias, a Canadian gold smuggler, that the president is his law.
In a tweet shared on Sunday, April 16, 2023, Kow Essuman said that neither President Akufo-Addo nor his law firm has come in contact with Alistair Mathias.
He added that the statements made by the gold smuggler were mere fabrications.
“The President has not been in private practice since 2000, neither has the President nor his law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co, acted as a lawyer for this Alistair Mathias or Guldrest.
“The President does not know this Mathias or Guldrest. Ignore the spurious allegations,” the tweet he shared read.
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Even more intriguing is a link to cracks in the ruling party that led to a bizarre military operation against a gold mining company owned by Mathias' one-time partners. Meanwhile, Mathias' Ghana mining leases continue to be valid & his access to top govt officials continues. pic.twitter.com/v9ipNkmqpS— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) April 16, 2023
Source: ghanaweb.com
