The criminal Angela List is at it again. A fraud petition lodged with EOCO: Small-scale miner Michael Benziecie has petitioned Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office, alleging that the CEO of the Minerals Commission, Martin Ayisi, together with Angela List (CEO of Adamus Resources Ltd) and board member Rebecca Donkor, conspired to secure a mining concession under false pretenses. $100,000 exchange claimed: Mr. Benziecie claims he paid a total of USD 100,000 ($50,000 initially, then an additional $50,000) to gain mining rights.

Required documentation and paid the initial US$50,000 on 19 March. He was then introduced to Madam List at a salon in East Legon, where further verbal assurances were given and company documentation requested.

However, shortly after submitting his formal proposal and GPS coordinates of his preferred mining blocks, Mr. Benzecie claims he discovered that the same site had been allocated to a rival group, allegedly led by Kojo Bumba, under an arrangement also involving a US$100,000 payment, allegedly brokered through Axim MP, Catherine.

When confronted, Ms Donkor acknowledged dealings with the MP but denied knowledge of Bumba’s operation. She nonetheless assured Mr. Benzecie that the matter would be resolved.

With no written contract forthcoming despite verbal approval and confirmation of a Minerals Commission licence, Mr. Benzecie mobilised machinery and began operations on 17 April. His team quickly encountered extensive environmental degradation, with illegal mining already ongoing on the site.

Efforts to relocate were blocked by other groups claiming similar authorisation from Madam List. Matters escalated when armed individuals, some in military uniform and others in plain clothes, stormed the second forcibly halted operations. The Ghana Armed Forces later confirmed to Mr. Benzecie that no sanctioned deployment had been ordered, raising concerns that the so-called security personnel were imposters.

Despite repeated follow-ups, neither a refund nor formal access to the concession was granted. Mr. Benzecie alleges that Adamus security and personnel on-site denied any knowledge of him, even after he submitted proof of payments and communications with Donkor and Madam List. Two of his workers were arrested during one such altercation.

On 22 April, Adamus security reportedly dismantled Mr. Benzecie’s operational setup. He forwarded gold samples, coordinates, and photos to Donkor, but days later, further armed personnel arrived under orders from Madam List to remove him completely.

WhatsApp messages allegedly show Angela questioning Mr. Benzecie’s “backing” and suggesting he was working with Chinese miners, a claim he denies, clarifying that the only Chinese nationals involved had delivered spare parts and had no role in operations.

In an effort to continue the partnership, Mr. Benzecie paid a second tranche of US$50,000 and a US$10,000 facilitation fee on 25 April, bringing his total cash outlay to US$110,000. Despite this, Adamus security again blocked access, and meetings with the supposed site coordinator, “Moses” (later identified as Adamus’ COO), failed to yield results.

Following another meeting on 27 April with senior Adamus officials, the concession was reportedly divided between Mr. Benzecie and another party. However, the document issued was merely a Letter of Intent, promptly rejected by the Minerals Commission as invalid.

In early May, Madam List proposed revising the original 20% production share to a 25-75 split in favour of BAM Mining, Mr. Benzecie’s firm. A breakdown was shared via WhatsApp: 15% to Adamus Resources, 8% to Madam List, and 2% to Donkor. Though Donkor responded with a “thumbs up” emoji, no formal contract was provided.

After depositing 15% of the initial production into Adamus’s Stanbic Bank account, Mr. Benzecie resumed work on 1 May, but production was low. Torrential rains on 23 May further disrupted activities.

Amidst this downtime, he introduced a fuel-saving product, Oxytane, which Madam List expressed interest in testing at Adamus’s Mali site. Around the same time, he was given a letter authorising him to clear illegal miners from the Adamus concession. However, investigations revealed that the District Chief Executive of Nzema East, Frank Opkenyen Bonzo, was allegedly behind some of the unauthorised mining.

Accra and later refused to communicate with him.

After an alleged GHS 300,000 payment supposedly intended for Madam List was delivered through Donkor, Bonzo reportedly turned against Mr. Benzecie, denying the transaction and spreading falsehoods. Relations between Angela List and Benzecie deteriorated soon after.

While testing Oxytane abroad, Mr. Benzecie’s team seized 15 illegal excavators. However, upon his return, he was informed that a representative of MP Catherine had paid US$300,000 to Madam List for the release of the equipment. Angela did not respond to his inquiries, while Donkor allegedly encouraged him to “go ahead and arrest those involved.”

Disillusioned, Mr. Benzecie halted all operations and proposed a new reclamation plan. Though initially approved verbally by Madam List, Adamus Security again shut him out. That marked the end of any direct communication.

Subsequent complaints to the Minerals Commission and police in Takoradi yielded no progress. Mr. Benzecie claims the assigned investigator visited Angela and Donkor in Accra and later refused to communicate with him.

In a final written statement, Mr. Benzecie said: “From the outset, I was misled, manipulated, and ultimately defrauded under false pretences by Madam Angela List, Rebecca Donkor, and their associates. I met every financial obligation, facilitation fees, site payments, production shares, yet I was unlawfully denied access and betrayed.”

He further accuses Madam List of enabling illegal mining on the Adamus concession in exchange for bribes or revenue shares, while ignoring environmental and legal breaches.

“This is not a mere business disagreement. It is criminal deception and abuse of office,” he asserted.

Mr. Benzecie is now calling on the Ghana Police Service, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the Minerals Commission to launch a full criminal investigation. He states that he is prepared to provide WhatsApp chats, payment records, site maps, photos, and audio files to substantiate his allegations.

More to come!

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