Illegal Miners (Galamseyers) to Face 15-20 Years Imprisonment if Caught

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has disclosed to the Chairperson and Members of the Council of State that, on Monday, August 19, 2019, he gave his assent to Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019.

The Act has amended the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and has increased the penalties for a person who buys or sells minerals without a licence or without a valid authority.

The Act has also increased the penalties for a person who engages in mining contrary to a provision of the Act.

In an engagement with members of the Council, President Akufo-Addo noted that “we are talking about minimum sentences of 15years, maximum 25 years (for persons involved in illegal mining). We have increased the punishment for foreigners who intervene illegally in this industry.”

The President also offered, “we felt that we have to take away some of the discretion of the judges. It’s unfortunate that it should be so because all of us should be able to trust them, to do their bit in stamping out crime and its consequences in our society. But that doesn’t turn out to be the case. So, this is another important step that we’ve taken in this fight against illegal mining”.

The President stated that, apart from exhortations we as a country need to strengthen the institutional arrangements because many of these Galamsey operations still goes on due to the delinquency on the part of the State itself.

Source: africacelebrities.com