The case involving the five Chinese nationals and their five Ghanaian accomplices who were arrested for illegal mining, have been transferred from the Sekondi Magistrate Court to the Sekondi Circuit Court.
The illegal miners were arrested on March 24, 2017, in a swoop by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Rapid Deployment Force of the Police Service, for illegally mining for gold in River Ankobra at Bamianko Dawule in the Nzema East Municipality.
State prosecutor Sergeant Francisca Nyarko in her open defence, pleaded with the court presided over by Her Lordship Mrs. Susana Eduful that, the matter be transferred from the Sekondi Magistrate Court to the Sekondi Circuit Court.
Lawyers for the accused persons also supported the plea on similar grounds of lack of Jurisdiction. The presiding Judge agreed to the plea and subsequently granted it.
All the 10 accused persons were re-arrested and sent to the Sekondi Circuit Court.
The five Chinese are Dong Cheng 30, Hung Jian 51, Ning Guorui 42, Yin Biquiang 46, and Li Zilong 44.
Their Ghanaian counterparts are Eric Owusu 28, Kwabena Adjei 50, Nana Adu 42, Kwesi Owusu 28 and Kofi Darko 21.
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana