State prosecuting 600 illegal miners– Attorney General
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that the state is currently prosecuting around 600 individuals involved in illegal mining activities commonly referred to as galamsey across Ghana.
Speaking at a high-level stakeholder forum on illegal mining hosted by President John Dramani Mahama in Accra on Friday, October 3, Dr. Ayine said the prosecutions are based on 65 active dockets being pursued by the Attorney General’s Department.
“Currently, we have initiated prosecutions in 65 dockets, and there is a difference. When we say 65 dockets, it is not 65 individual persons who are being prosecuted,” he explained.
He explained that many of the cases involve multiple accused persons, with some dockets covering more than 10 suspects. For instance, in the Western North Region alone, a single docket involves the prosecution of 28 individuals charged with illegal mining offences.
“By my calculation, the 65 dockets contain about 600 illegal miners that are being prosecuted,” he stated.
His remarks come amid intensified national efforts to crack down on illegal mining, which continues to destroy forest reserves, pollute water bodies, and undermine the country’s formal mining sector.
Dr. Ayine also stated that the government’s renewed commitment to strengthening investigative procedures and closing legal loopholes that have allowed many illegal miners to escape conviction in the past.
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