They were arrested upon a tip off by a member of the galamsey  task-force in the area.

The illegal miners were mining opposite the Tarkwa Senior High School very close to an area where the Lands Ministry was holding a National Stakeholders’ workshop on the Multilateral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP).

Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu who lead the team of police officers to make the arrest told journalists that the fight against galamsey is very difficult but the ministry will not give up.

“Chinese people are doing this illegal activity; they’ve recruited our own people to be working with them. The pit that they are using is a very old pit and it’s been there for years without any safety precautionary measure being put in place they are in there and they are mining. Tomorrow we will hear about a cave in and that becomes another issue.”

“The idea that they think they are not polluting any water or causing land degradation but we all saw the amount of water that they were pumping from the pit. So if they tell us that they are not polluting any water what do they mean by that?”

Mr. Owusu also complained that the Electricity Company of Ghana’s branch at Tarkwa provided the Chinese miners with electricity to undertake the illegality.

“We saw Electricity Company of Ghana goes in and supply power to an illegal activity while their own regulation states that before they supply power to any premises, they must know who the owner is, they must know what work you are going to use the power for. And if it is an illegal activity they have every right to deny them power. When we get to Accra, we will report them to their main office so they know what their agency is doing here,” he added.

Other Chinese illegal miners have already been arrested in other areas including Kyebi in Eastern Region for engaging in illegal mining.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post 10 Chinese illegal miners arrested in Tarkwa appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

China had complained that Zambia provided no strong evidence of crimes committed by the 31 arrested in the copperbelt town of Chingola, including a pregnant woman and two victims of malaria.

[contextly_sidebar id=”IE8srs1eLuv7YaMbkph8cSymbdZGPcbE”]But Zambia’s immigration chief had told Zambian media the Chinese would have to be deported for violating the law.

“After repeated representations by China’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Zambia, on the afternoon of June 6, the 31 Chinese citizens that had been seized and detained boarded a plane and left Zambia smoothly to return home,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

In a letter, the 31 had expressed their “satisfaction” with the Chinese embassy’s efforts on their behalf, Hua told a regular news briefing.

Chinese companies have invested more than $1 billion in copper-rich Zambia, but there has been animosity, with some Zambian workers accusing firms of abuses and underpaying.

In 2012, Zambian miners killed a Chinese supervisor and seriously wounded another in a pay dispute at a coal mine. Zambian police charged two Chinese supervisors at the same coal mine with attempted murder two years earlier, after the shooting of 13 miners in a pay dispute.

Resource-hungry China is investing heavily in Africa, a supplier of oil and raw materials, such as copper and uranium, but critics have warned its companies take with them their poor track record on workers’ rights and environmental protection.

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Source: Africa News

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Making reference to what it said purports to be the charge sheet in the case of Republic v. En Huang & 4 Others, the pressure group said the offences laid and filed against the suspects did not match the severity of the crime.

[contextly_sidebar id=”r7GiWOttBN2F5pVJTXXK69N7WdHU4en6″]In a statement, OccupyGhana noted that “under the Statements of Offence, the accused persons are charged with the offences of (i) Illegal Employment of Foreign Nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations), and (ii) Disobedience of Directive Given (in breach of section 52 of the Immigration Act.)”

But under the particulars of offence, Occupy Ghana pointed out that the first accused person, the now-infamous En ‘Aisha’ Huang, had employed the others to engage in illegal mining. thus all accused persons, being holders of visitors’ visas had disobeyed the condition that required them not to engage in any employment in Ghana.

Thus all accused persons, being holders of visitors’ visas had disobeyed the condition that required them not to engage in any employment in Ghana, of which punishment demands a maximum fine of GH¢12,000 and/or a maximum prison term of two years, under section 52 of the Immigration Act.

This notwithstanding, OccupyGhana said immigration offences laid and filed against the Accused Persons do not match the severity of the act of employing or being employed illegally at a small-scale mining site.

Charges under Mining act more appropriate

The group noted that offences under the Minerals and Mining Act would be more fitting for the severity of the offences.

“From our research, foreigners are absolutely prohibited from engaging in small-scale mining in Ghana. It is, therefore, an offence under section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act for foreigners to engage in small-scale mining, and offenders attract a fine between GH¢360,000 and GH¢3.6M, and/or a maximum jail term of 20 years.”

Thus, According to the group, if these Accused Persons employed others or were employed to mine illegally, then the immigration charges that have been laid and filed are really minor as compared to what the law provides for in the Minerals and Mining Act.

“We, therefore, Petition your office to call for the docket on this matter, investigate the charges laid and filed, and if found necessary, for fresh, proper, weightier and more relevant charges to be filed or added.”

Find below the full occupy Ghana statement

PETITION TO THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OVER CHARGES LAID AND FILED IN THE CASE OF REPUBLIC V. EN HUANG & 4 OTHERS (CASE NO. CR 344/2017)

OccupyGhana® has seen a copy of what purports to be the Charge Sheet in the case of Republic v. En Huang & 4 Others (Case No. CR 344/2017) and dated 8th May 2017, and a copy is attached for ease of reference.

We note that under the Statements of Offence, the accused persons are charged with the offences of (i) Illegal Employment of Foreign Nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations), and (ii) Disobedience of Directive Given (in breach of section 52 of the Immigration Act.)

However, under the Particulars of Offence, we are told that the First Accused Person had employed the other Accused Persons “to work illegally at a small-scale mining site,” and that all the accused persons, being holders of visitors’ visas had also disobeyed the condition that required them “not to engage in any employment in Ghana.”

We are deeply concerned that the immigration offences laid and filed against the Accused Persons do not match the severity of the act of employing or being employed “illegally at a small-scale mining site.” It is true that a person commits an offence if he/she “disobeys or disregards an obligation imposed or directive given by or under [the Immigration] Act.” But the punishment for this offence is a maximum fine of Twelve Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢12,000) and/or a maximum prison term of two (2) years, under section 52 of the Immigration Act. And, unless the law has been changed, regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations provides that an individual who employs a foreigner in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act attracts a penalty of only Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢500) payable to the Immigration Service. It is only upon failure to pay that measly penalty that the person may be taken to court, not for employing a foreigner illegally, but for failure to pay the measly 500 Cedi and upon conviction pay a fine of Four Thousand and Two Hundred Ghana (GH¢4,200) Cedis.

However, from our research, foreigners are absolutely prohibited from engaging in small-scale mining in Ghana. It is therefore an offence under section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act for foreigners to engage in small scale-mining, and offenders attract a fine between GH¢360,000 and GH¢3.6M, and/or a maximum jail term of 20 years. Further, the equipment used in or associated with the offence and any product derived are to be seized, and are liable to forfeiture by a court order and then allocated to “the appropriate state institution” within 60 days by the Minister responsible for mining.

That is why we are concerned that if these Accused Persons employed others or were employed “to work illegally at a small-scale mining site,” then the immigration charges that have been laid and filed are really minor as compared to what the law provides for in the Minerals and Mining Act.

We therefore Petition your office to call for the docket on this matter, investigate the charges laid and filed, and if found necessary, for fresh, proper, weightier and more relevant charges to be filed or added.

The fight against illegal mining in Ghana is a fight to protect, not only the present, but the future of this country. It is therefore imperative that the law must be applied to all who fall foul of it, without fear or favour.

Yours in the service of God and Country,

OccupyGhana®

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post OccupyGhana petitions AG over ‘soft charges’ for Aisha Huang, others appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Hearing of the case was supposed to be opened formally today [Monday] April 10, but the matter was adjourned to April 24th, when there was no certified Chinese interpreter to interpret proceedings to the five Chinese involved.

[contextly_sidebar id=”UN7AWwUytBWvUXFMHHNkNJaSSK05CMJi”]The illegal miners were arrested in a swoop on Friday, 25th March, 2017, led by the Western Regional Commander of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Kwesi Duku.

They were brought before the Sekondi Magistrate Court where they were later remanded by the Sekondi High Court, to reappear before it when the matter was transferred.

Counsel for the 10 suspects, Stephen Alewabah, speaking to journalists explained that “the provision of a certified Chinese interpreter is the responsibility of the court, and due to the absence of one, the case was rescheduled to April 24. ”

The 10 suspects have thus been remanded into police custody.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Chinese galamsey case adjourned over lack of interpreter appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.