Deputy Attorney General and MP for Tempane Constituency, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka has called for an amendment of some legislations to adequately deal with illegal rosewood trade in the country.
According to him, the issues with illegal rosewood trade stems from the systemic problems we have where individuals mandated to check the activity refused to do their job.
"Those of us mandated to take up some responsibilities to ensure that these people carrying out these illegal activities are stopped if they fail to do it they have no business occupying these offices."
Joseph Dindiok Kpemka said if we cannot solve the problem of the illegal felling of the rosewoods then there will be a need for regularisation of the activity to also allow indigenes to benefit.
 "If you look at our part of the world that is Upper East in particular, even if these things ongoing can be regularised so that some benefit can come to the people it will be better, rather than allowing it to benefit few persons who will exploit this to their personal advantage."
Expressing his views on the ongoing debate about the continues felling of rosewood despite the ban on Joy FM, Mr Kpemka said legislations need to be amended to deal with the culprits.
"We can continue to cry but if we fail to act in the appropriate manner prosperity will deal with us, let us make sure that we tighten our legal regime, parliament in our previous legislation what we always do is that when we state the consequences of conviction, we normally say imprisonment or fine or both but we had to do a legislation this time to say that the imprisonment is mandatory because if you say imprisonment or fine or both is a discretion by the judge and if you have found a man who has exported rosewood worth 100 million dollars and you fine him one million dollars he will just pay and walk away happily, so we may have to amend our laws especially Act 547 to make sure that we have exact penal consequences heavy enough to deter people.."
Rosewood petition
MP for Builsa South Constituency, Dr. Clement Apaak has also petitioned the Special Prosecutor to investigate the Forestry Commission.
A report which was published by the Environmental and Investigation Agency in the US cited the Forestry Commission and the Wildlife Division for issuing an illegal permit for the felling of the tree.
According to Clement Apaak, some government officials are being issued with permits to fell the tree, he, therefore, petitioned the Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute the individuals involved.
"I have petitioned the office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate the allegations of bribery that has allowed the illegal rosewood business to thrive and to prosecute those involved, I have submitted the petition to the Special Prosecutor today and in the petition I provided him with details in this report by the EIA and they have indicated their readiness to provide the office of the Special Prosecutor with more details on this so that he can investigate and prosecute anyone including party and government officials behind this illegal trade."
Forestry Commission's earlier reaction
Ghana’s Forestry Commission in a statement highlighted several aspects of the documentary by BBC on the trade of Rosewood and suggested that the said claims were false.
According to the statement, the former Executive Director of Wildlife Division, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah who was cited in the documentary has denied any wrongdoing.
“Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah has thrown a challenge to anyone who has proof of his involvement in any illegalities to come forward and prove that,†Public Relations Officer of Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo, indicated in the statement.
Walk with lexis
The Commission also said the BBC’s claims that 6 million rosewood trees have been exported to China from 2012 to 2018, while bans have been in place in Ghana, are untrue.
“Officially published records from Forestry Commission(Report on Export of Timber and Wood Products)indicates that from 2012 to May 2019, a total of 300,368.94 m3of rosewood products has been exported, with a Roundwood equivalent of 385,845.50m3, which translates into 257,230 trees approximately, and not 6million trees,†the Commission stated.
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