The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame has revealed that some seventy-six individuals including eighteen foreigners have been jailed for engaging in illegal mining activities since August 2021.
This revelation comes on the back of growing concerns over the destruction of the environment by galamsey activities.
Groups such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and IMANI Africa have recently added their voice to the fight, criticizing the President’s inaction on the matter.
Speaking at the 2024/2025 annual general conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi, Yeboah Dame revealed that 140 cases of illegal mining are being investigated across five regions.
“From August 2021 to date, at least 76 foreigners including 18 foreigners have been convicted. They include the acclaimed Chinese galamsey queen, Ayisha Huan who was convicted on 4th December, 2023 on offences committed between 2014 and 2016 in the era of the previous government. Over 140 cases of illegal mining involving over 850 Ghanaians are being prosecuted in courts in the Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Greater and Upper East Regions of Ghana
According to the Attorney-General, most of the convicts were sentenced under the new law, Act 995 to a minimum of 15 years plus a hefty fine for a non-Ghanaian. Currently.
Godfred Yeboah Dame also assured the public of government’s commitment to tackling the galamsey menace adding the some cases are nearing conclusion and also expressed confidence in the judiciary to play its part in the fight against galamsey.
