Mining Outside Permits, Foreign Subleases, Missing Approvals and Galamsey Done On Dame’s Legal Cover
When Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah upheld the revocation of Adamus Resources’ three mining leases on August 10, he closed a chapter on what regulators call sustained illegality but opened another on the conduct of a former Attorney General.
The infractions that doomed Adamus unauthorised subleasing to foreign nationals, mining outside permitted areas, failure to secure environmental approvals, and over US$380 million in combined unpaid royalties, taxes and mineral rights fees were emboldened, according to multiple sources, by legal advice from Godfred Yeboah Dame.
The advice, proffered while Dame was still the state’s chief law officer, told Adamus to ignore court injunctions and keep mining.
The plot has its roots in a hostile takeover. Angela Diala List, through her company Nguvu Mining Limited incorporated in 2017, acquired 90 percent of Adamus Resources from its Australian parent, Adamus PTY, in what the latter describes as a commandeered transfer. The dispute has spawned multiple injunctions and contempt applications in Accra’s commercial courts.
On January 16, 2026 just days after Adamus PTY filed motions to restrain gold exports and equipment commissioning List wrote to Dame seeking counsel. Dame, through deputy Diana Asona Dapaah, responded with a four-page opinion arguing that service of an injunction application does not itself constitute an injunction, and that the court would be “disinclined” to stall a going concern.
“Accordingly,” the advice read, “the service of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction… is NOT an injunction in itself that restrains the company from running its day-to-day functions.”
Armed with that cover, Adamus accelerated production a decision that would later expose the company to the Minerals Commission’s inspectorate and the revocation now upheld.
Dame’s defence is that the state holds 10 percent interest in Adamus, justifying his intervention. Critics counter that the advice was directed at List’s private entity, not the state’s minority stake, and that no other shareholder was consulted.
The former AG’s dual role has drawn sharper scrutiny since the NPP lost power. Dame, who during his tenure was accused of coaching a witness to perjure himself in the Ato Forson ambulance trial, has since formally transitioned to private practice representing List, Nguvu and Adamus.
Whether Adamus will now challenge the revocation in court remains unclear. If it does, Dame will be on the brief defending a company whose licence was revoked for acts committed on his own advice.
Buah’s final determination, announced after a ministerial review, cited “material and sustained breaches” of Act 703. The review committee also found deliberate concealment of information, unexplained gold export variances, and US$224 million transferred to related parties abroad between 2020 and 2024.
The Minister has since visited the mine site, assuring workers of uninterrupted operations until a further government decision. He also signalled intent to pursue full recovery of royalties, taxes and other liabilities.
For the industry, the case is a cautionary tale about regulatory capture and the perils of mixing public office with private advocacy. For Dame, it is a legacy-defining test of whether his advice was lawful or merely convenient.