Joseph Albert Qualm, who previously served as the Member of Parliament representing the Manso Nkwanta constituency, has filed a lawsuit against Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), accusing him of defamation.
Mr. Joseph Albert Qualm, in addition to other requested actions, is seeking GH¢2.5 million in damages from Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. Mr. Qualm also wants a restraining order to prevent Prof. Frimpong-Boateng from making any further comments on the controversial galamsey report that he authored.
According to the leaked report, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng alleged that Mr. Qualm, who served as a board member on the Minerals Commission, had obtained numerous mining concessions through his position. The report further claimed that Mr. Qualm would then sell these concessions, including to party members, for two hundred thousand cedis per concession. These allegations reportedly caused dissatisfaction within the party’s constituency, leading to Mr. Qualm’s loss in the 2020 primaries to a candidate with fewer financial resources.
In his lawsuit, Mr. Qualm is asking the court to recognize that the Defendant’s statements in the report, which imply underhanded sales of mining concessions by the Plaintiff, can be understood as defamatory and are, in fact, defamatory against him.
Additionally, Mr. Qualm is seeking an injunction to prevent Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, his employees, agents, or others, from further publishing any part of the report that pertains to the allegations made against him. He also wants to prevent the publication or repetition of similar defamatory statements about him through media interviews or any other means.
It’s worth noting that several individuals mentioned in the report have also taken legal action against Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, the former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
