"Judges do not cooperate with Galamsey's fight" – Akufo-Addo

General News of Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-08-20

President Nana Akufo-Addo has complained that judges do not cooperate with the government to fight illegal mining.

He said that after approving an amended law providing for tougher penalties for illegal minors.

"We had to remove some of the discretion of the judges largely because, with the utmost respect, they do not cooperate with these issues."

"People get caught, they bring them to justice, they are released on bail, then they disappear," he said, adding that the adoption of the law "is another important step in the fight against Galamsey ".

The government launched Operation Vanguard in 2017, which militarizes the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as "galamsey".

Punishments

However, members of the anti-galamsey task force, Operation Vanguard, complained about the punishment of the culprits. Some who have been convicted have received fines that have been criticized for their indulgence.

Their commander, Colonel Michael Amoah Ayisi, complained of the slow prosecution. He added that if the situation persists, illegal miners and their financiers will be motivated to act with impunity.

It is thought that some of the convicts at the time escaped when they were released on bail by the courts.

The sentence has since been changed to a minimum of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum of 25 years under the new law.

Reaction

However, the president's comments do not go against opposition MP Nuba Insuah Fuseini.

The member of the hierarchy within Parliament's Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs told Evans Mensah about Joy FM's Top Story that Akufo-Addo's communication was wrong.

The MP said that the president should not be heard in a democratic dispensation, saying that it restricts the discretion of judges.

According to him, the purpose of the amendment to the law is to make the penalties more severe and should not be considered an infringement at the discretion of the judges.

He added that judges still have the discretion to choose between 15- to 25-year sentences.