The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has said he is not afraid to hold the so-called powerful people behind illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as 'galamsey', accountable.
According to him, the ongoing trial of alleged 'galamsey' kingpin, Aisha Huang, who many have said has connections in high places in government, is a testament to his resolve to curb the menace of illegal small-scale mining.
Speaking in an Adom FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Jinapor added that the fact that the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, has taken over the case of Aisha Huang shows the seriousness of the government in the fight against 'galamsey'.
"With all the sincerity and condor that I can marshal out of my being, I'm totally blind to the so-called powerful people. Who are those powerful people?
"Take for example, Aisha Huang. When her issue came up, what most people said was that nothing would happen to her, she would not be prosecuted because she is highly connected to the highest level, she has sex tapes and all that. In the end, we took her to court, and we slapped the most punitive charges against her.
"We are prosecuting her in a very spirited manner. Those of you who understand the country's laws know that for the Attorney General himself to be prosecuting this matter of Aisha Huang tells you the importance the government places on it," he said in Twi.
Samuel Abu Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Damongo, added that the AG has even secured a remand until the determination of the case of Aisha Huang, which means that the alleged 'galamsey' kingpin will be in the custody of the police until the court provides its judgement.
Listen to the lands minister's remarks below:
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