About 850 accused persons standing trial for galamsey crimes, says Attorney General

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame has disclosed that there are some 850 accused persons currently standing trial in various courts across the country for “galamsey” related offences.

He made the observation in his address as leader of the Bar at the 2024 Ghana Bar Association (GBA) annual general conference held at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Monday, 9 September 2024.

Illegal mining (galamsey), according to the Attorney General, “continues to cause incalculable damage to our forest reserves and river bodies. He indicated tha “in the teeth of the difficulties prosecutors encounter in the courts in the prosecution of illegal mining offences, the Criminal Division has enjoyed some success even though there is still room for more to be done.”

“From August 2021 to date, at least 76 persons, including eighteen (18) foreigners, have been convicted. They include the acclaimed Chinese galamsey queen, Aisha Huang, who was convicted on 4th December, 2023, of offences committed between 2014 and 2016 in the era of the previous government.

“Most of the convicts were sentenced under the new law – Act 995 to a minimum of 15 years plus a heavy fine in the case of a Ghanaian and a minimum of 20 years plus a hefty fine for a non-Ghanaian. Currently, over 140 cases of illegal mining involving over 850 accused persons are being prosecuted in courts in the Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Greater-Accra, and Upper East Regions of Ghana. Some are near conclusion,” Dame said.

In his address, the Attorney General said the unsung heroes of the Office of the Attorney General are the Legislative Drafting Division. Dame said they (the Legislative Drafting Division) are that army of well-disciplined, properly-trained, meticulous lawyers whose task it is to set the legislative framework for all that the AG’s department does.

“Without them, none of the three arms of government can function. The Legislative Drafting Division has been responsible for carrying my vision of law reform in both civil and criminal aspects of the law. They have paid great attention to the public policy of the law and have drafted in all about 60 Acts of Parliament and innumerable subsidiary legislation,” Dame stated.

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Kumasi

Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand 

The post About 850 accused persons standing trial for galamsey crimes, says Attorney General appeared first on Asaase Radio.