By Antionette Abbah
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has stated that 76 individuals have been convicted of illegal mining offences since August 2021. He said over 140 cases of illegal mining involving over 850 accused persons are being prosecuted in court in the Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Greater and Upper East regions of Ghana.
The Minister said this at the Ghana Bar Association Conference in Kumasi to highlight the government’s efforts to clamp down on the Galamsey menace.
Despite legal and procedural challenges, he noted that significant progress has been made in prosecuting illegal miners. He added that most of these convicts were sentenced under the new law, Act 995, which imposes a minimum sentence of 15 years and heavy fines for non-Ghanaian offenders.
Foreigners found guilty now face a minimum of 50 years in prison, while Ghanaians involved in illegal mining face a minimum of 20 years behind bars.