In a statement sighted by GhanaWeb, Godfred Dame indicated that NDC’s disposition that galamsey is pervasive under the Akufo-Addo government is laughable because they did nothing to stop it when they were in power.
He said the current government has arrested and prosecuted many galamsey kingpins like Aisha Huang whom the NDC did not even touch.
“I consider it ironic for the NDC, whose record in the fight against Galamsey can be described at best, as wretched and miserable, to mount personal attacks on me for the brave efforts in the fight against Galamsey. The record shows that the NDC woefully failed and/or neglected to arrest and prosecute a single kingpin of Galamsey, including the touted Galamsey queen, Aisha Huang. It is noted that all acts committed by Aisha Huang for which she gained notoriety, took place between 2014 and 2016. However, remarkably, it was the current NPP administration which commenced the prosecution of Aisha Huan in 2018.
“Following Aisha Huang’s return to Ghana after having been deported, I, the current Attorney-General, took a decision to mount a full-scale prosecution of the “Galamsey 4 queen” for her past crimes committed between 2014 and 2016 and proceeded to vigorously undertake same. The trial has ended and judgment is pending. Meanwhile, Aisha Huang has been in custody since being arrested on 2nd September 2022. In addition to her, many Chinese alleged kingpins of Galamsey and persons of all nationalities are currently standing trial around the country,” parts of the statement, which was issued on October 18, 2023, reads.
The Attorney General said that unlike the NDC government which only fined people involved in the menace of galamsey, the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has enacted laws that ensure that persons involved in the menace get stricter punishment.
“Following the enactment of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995) in the administration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the punishment regime for illegal mining was drastically enhanced to a minimum of 15 years for a Ghanaian and 20 years for a non-Ghanaian. This rendered prosecution more difficult as culprits, faced with the reality of the lack of an option of a fine, became more reluctant to plead guilty. In spite of this, I have recorded greater success in securing conviction for Galamsey offences than witnessed in erstwhile NDC administrations,” he added.
Read Godfred Dame’s full statement below:
BAI/AW
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame