The Agogo Magistrate, presided over by Mr. Stephen Tabi, has ordered five illegal miners to sign a bond be of good behavior for a period of six months.
Akuinor Dotse, Savior Dejetomeh, Maxwell Zettor, Oliver Sodolo and Kwadwo Alfred would in breach of this, serve six months imprisonment in hard labor.
They had been arrested at Muronaim near Amantia in the Asante-Akim South District on June 28.
Police Detective Sergeant Princeton Peasah Drakwah told the court that the police received information from people in the community that the five had been polluting the Anum River, running through the place, which happened to be their only source of drinking water, through illegal mining.
Led by the District Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Andrew Anyani and with the assistance of the chief, they were arrested in their various homes.
The prosecution said they confessed to doing illegal mining but insisted that stopped after the government announced a ban on activity.
Although they pleaded guilty, the court in deciding the punishment said it had to rely on section 23 of Act 3060 of the criminal procedure because they were not caught right in the act.
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Source: GNA