Three Convicted For Galamsey

The accused persons during the arrest

THREE PEOPLE, including a student, have been arrested and remanded in police custody for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities inside the Mpatasie forest within the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.

Abdulai Safianu (unemployed), 23; Ibrahim Musah (farmer), 25 and Sulemana Mustapha (student), 18, were arrested on October 11, 2018, by the Asante Bekwai rapid response team of the Forestry Commission near a forest reserve area.

They have been charged with two counts of conspiracy to mine and mining without license, contrary to sections 23(1) and 99(2) (a) and (b) of Act 703 of 2006.

The three persons appeared before the Bekwai Circuit Court yesterday morning. The court presided over by Fredrick Nawura did not take their plea, but remanded them to re-appear on October 19, 2018.

Police prosecutor, Detective Inspector Stephen Ofori, informed the court that the complainant in the case is a forestry ranger at Bekwai.

According to him, the complainant and his team, on October 11, 2018, chanced upon the accused persons engaging in mining activities without license around 2:30 pm during their usual patrol to halt chainsaw activities.

Inspector Ofori narrated that the accused persons were immediately arrested and later handed over to police together with their mining equipment that included pumping machines.

The accused persons admitted wrong doing during investigations, the police prosecutor disclosed, and added that they could not provide their mining license upon request.

He said police preliminary investigations revealed that the accused persons were mining at a spot between 50 and 100 metres away from the Mpatasie forest reserve area.