The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has revealed that the state is currently prosecuting approximately 600 people involved in illegal mining activities across the country.
Speaking at a stakeholder forum on illegal mining convened by President John Dramani Mahama in Accra on Friday, October 3, Dr. Ayine clarified that the prosecutions stem from 65 active dockets currently 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.
According to Dr. Ayine, several of the cases involve multiple accused persons, with some dockets covering more than 10 suspects.
He cited a particularly large case in the Western North Region, where 28 illegal miners are being prosecuted under a single docket.
“By my calculation, the 65 dockets contain about 600 illegal miners that are being prosecuted,” he stated.
The Attorney General’s comments come amid heightened national efforts to clamp down on galamsey, which has devastated forests, polluted water bodies, and undermined lawful mining operations.
Dr. Ayine also reiterated the government’s commitment to improving investigative processes and closing legal loopholes that have historically allowed illegal mining suspects to evade conviction.
Source: CitiNewsRoom
