Accra: An Accra High Court has remanded into lawful custody seven persons accused of mining without a license at Wassa Dunkwa in the Western Region. The seven accused individuals are Douglas Bediako, Samuel Tanor aka Ameyaw, Richard Yaw Sey, Justin Akyirbri, Shon Vitus, Akembasiya James, and Gideon Asordina.
According to Ghana News Agency, the accused have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, specifically undertaking mining operations without a license granted by the Minister. The court, presided over by Justice Mrs. Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie, did not take their pleas. They are expected to reappear on May 15, 2025.
The facts of the case before the court indicate that the complainants are police personnel from the National Police Headquarters in Accra, tasked by the Inspector General of Police to combat illegal mining activities. On or about May 1, 2025, during a special operation at Wassa Dunkwa, near Asankragwa in the Western Region, the police team encountered the accused individuals engaged in illegal mining activities.
Visual evidence of some of the accused working in the mining pits and their subsequent arrest was captured by the team. The accused claimed they had been hired by certain individuals to work in the mining pits. A 'Sanny' excavator, operated by Douglas Bediako and bearing the registration number GN 695-24, was retrieved from the site.
