The Koforidua Circuit Court B has sentenced two individuals identified as Wisdom Kwabla and Kojo Osanyame to five years of imprisonment each for illegal mining activities. According to a report from Modern Ghana the convicts were found guilty of operating within the Atewa Range Forest Reserve which is a strictly protected area. The court presided over by His Honour Ebenezer Osei Darko also imposed a fine of ten thousand penalty units on each individual as noted in a Citi Newsroom report.
Prosecutors told the court that the two men were apprehended by a joint task force during a routine patrol in the forest reserve. The Ghana Forestry Commission officials stated that the suspects were found using various tools to excavate land in search of gold. A Daily Graphic report confirmed that the activities led to the destruction of vegetative cover and the pollution of water bodies within the catchment area of the forest.
The Attorney General Department through its representatives argued that the actions of the accused violated the Minerals and Mining Act. The prosecution presented evidence including seized equipment and photographs of the degraded site to support the charges. Modern Ghana reported that the court dismissed claims that the men were only laborers and instead emphasized the importance of protecting the national heritage from illegal exploitation.
During the sentencing the trial judge remarked on the severity of environmental crimes in Ghana. The court ordered that the seized equipment be confiscated by the state and handed over to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. A report from GhanaWeb mentioned that the conviction serves as a warning to those engaging in galamsey within forest reserves. The convicts began their sentences immediately at the Koforidua prisons following the court ruling.