2 Chinese, Ghanaian ‘Galamseyers’ Trial Ends
The trial of a Chinese couple and a Ghanaian accused of undertaking illegal mining (galamsey) in the Ashanti Region, came to a close last week after the Ghanaian opened and closed his case.
Nana Kwame Opoku, a Ghanaian; Li Wei Guo and Shi Mei Zhi, a Chinese couple have all been charged with conspiracy to undertake mining operations without licence contrary to section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, Act 29 and section 99(2)(a) of the
Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Act 995 of 2019.
The Ghanaian opened his defence last Thursday and was cross-examined by the prosecution. He did not call any witnesses and decided to close his case after he was cross-examined.
The court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court Judge, adjourned the case to December 12, 2024 for counsel in the matter to file their written addresses.
The court will on that day set a date for judgement in the case, which has attracted attention due to an increase in illegal mining cases in the country.
Other Galamsey Cases
This is one of many cases prosecuted by the office of the Attorney General which have reached trial stage.
There are currently six active cases before the High Court in Sekondi and two before the Takoradi High Court which are ready for trial.
There are also six other active cases before the Circuit Court in Koforidua, with some adjourned for case management and others adjourned because the accused persons were absent, and the court has issued a warrant for their arrest.
Delays
In some of the cases, however, the courts adjourned the cases to January 2025 because counsel for the accused persons were absent.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, last month called on the Chief Justice to direct all judges sitting on illegal mining (galamsey) cases to conclude the cases, hearing of which has started, within one month from the commencement of the new legal year on October 10, 2024.
According to him, if most of these cases are completed within a month, it will go a long way in delivering justice for the heinous harm caused to the people by the devastating act.
Mr. Dame indicated that it is beyond argument that illegal mining continues to wreak incalculable damage to forest reserves and river bodies, pointing out that a major setback to the struggle against galamsey is the rate of adjudication and punishment of offenders.
He pointed out that currently, 140 cases of illegal mining involving over 850 accused persons are pending in courts in the Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Greater Accra and Upper East regions, with some pending since 2020.
“This situation cannot be right. We are in urgent national crisis, and all citizens and institutions with any form of role to play must be called to action,” he pleaded.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
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