{"id":291339,"date":"2017-02-05T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2017-02-05T10:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=291339"},"modified":"2017-02-05T10:00:19","modified_gmt":"2017-02-05T10:00:19","slug":"were-not-guilty-29-foreign-illegal-miners-tell-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/02\/were-not-guilty-29-foreign-illegal-miners-tell-court\/","title":{"rendered":"We’re not guilty – 29 foreign illegal miners tell court"},"content":{"rendered":"
The 29 foreigners arrested for illegal mining in the Atiwa Rain Forest Reserve have pleaded not guilty to three charges levelled against them by a Koforidua Circuit Court B on Friday, February 3.<\/p>\n
They were charged with three counts of conspiracy to mine without authorization, mining without authorization (Minerals and Mining Amendment Act 2015) and trespassing (Criminal Code Act 29), which they all pleaded not guilty to.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n The court presided over by Her Honour Ms. Mercy Adei Kotei, refused to the plea for bail from the lawyer for the accused persons on the grounds of the nature of the offense, the severity of punishment involved, and the fact that there is no proof of permanent residence in Ghana by the accused persons.<\/p>\n The accused persons have\u00a0thus been remanded to reappear in two weeks time for separate trials in batches, which will commence on February 17 to March 1st 2017<\/span>.<\/p>\n