The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has not yet been served with a docket on investigations into alleged illegal mining activities of Akonta Mining, reportedly owned by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.
In his commitment to prosecuting individuals involved in illegal mining activities, Mr. Dame cited successful cases where his office has prosecuted and imprisoned some Chinese nationals for illegal mining offenses.
He highlighted the imprisonment of various Chinese nationals by the Tarkwa Circuit Court, with two individuals receiving 25-year prison terms. According to the law, foreign nationals engaged in such activities face a minimum punishment of 20 years, while Ghanaians face a minimum of 15 years in jail.
The allegations against Mr. Dame’s office for failing to prosecute the illegal mining activities of Akonta Mining Limited, owned by NPP chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), arose after a video showed the company mining in a forest reserve.
The Criminal Investigation Department of the Police initiated investigations in June 2023 following a petition from the Media Coalition Against Galamsey. The petition alleged that Akonta Mining had entered the Tano Nimiri forest reserve in the Western Region to conduct mining operations.
Although Akonta Mining Limited had a mining lease for operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the forest reserve, the company had no authorization to mine in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
Mr. Dame clarified in an interview with JoyNews that his office has not received any evidence of wrongdoing regarding the alleged illegal mining activities. He emphasized the importance of providing evidence and dockets to support claims and expressed concern over the lack of video evidence presented to his office.
The Attorney-General’s remarks shed light on the legal processes involved in prosecuting illegal mining activities and emphasized the need for thorough investigation and presentation of evidence to support allegations.
