The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested the suspended Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Horace Ekow Ewusi over some missing excavators used for illegal mining (galamsey).

The arrest follows a letter written by the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng requesting the CID to probe Mr Ewusi over the missing excavators.

According to the letter written by the Minister, Mr Ewusi was contracted to cart excavators and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping.

The Minister’s letter said the Ministry had received information that he sent an unknown number of equipment to an unauthorized location including one in Tema.

Professor Frimpong-Boateng recently disclosed that hundreds of seized galamsey excavators have disappeared from the District Assemblies around the country.

This revelation has angered the Media Coalition Against Galamsey and pressure group OccupyGhana, who in a joint statement said it is “unacceptable” that the government is losing the war against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).