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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been challenged to back off from the fight against illegal mining and allow law enforcement agencies to do their job.
The authorities should be allowed to exert their mandates to deal with the galamsey canker and if they happen to arrest those engaged in the act, nobody should interfere in their prosecution.
The President’s role should be limited to backing the enforcement agencies to do their work.
Legal practitioner, Bobby Banson, threw the challenge at the Presidency on TV3’s analytical show The Key Points on Saturday 17th April 2021.
The panel was discussing the national consultative forum organized by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to address the challenge of illegal mining.
“Nobody should go and report that your MCE, or your Member of Parliament, or your so-called party financier, or a leading member of your party is the one bringing the Chinese to do galamsey.”
“Why should anyone go and tell the President? Let the authorities deal with it and if they arrest those who do illegal mining who will come and bail them; Let the media expose these people,” he stated.
Mr. Banson noted that the phenomenon of the Chinese who come to Ghana engage in galamsey is very baffling.
According to him, no foreign national can enter the country without a visa, which is either obtained on arrival or from Ghana’s diplomatic mission in the countries they are coming from.
He argued that before such a visa is issued there should be a letter of invitation asking these foreign to visit Ghana.
“On the letters of invitation who was inviting them and are these companies registered in Ghana; if yes who are the shareholders? If they are getting visas on arrival the Immigration Act says somebody must guarantee your compliance to the laws of Ghana so long as you are in the country.”
“Who were the persons who were guaranteeing that” he questioned?
He argued that if a foreigner is arrested engaging in illegal mining, the guarantor should also suffer under the law since they gave the assurance the foreigner would comply with Ghana’s laws.
“So the Presidency should not be involved at all. The President has so many things to do; that is why he has set up ministries with ministers in charge,” he said.
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Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
