Shaibu Yaw, a Togolese national, was sentenced to 18 years in prison with hard labor by Koforidua Circuit Court A in the Eastern Region as part of a major crackdown on illicit mining.
Shaibu, a prisoner, was taken into custody for unlawful mining at Akyem Muoso in the Atiwa West District.
Ghana is stepping up its efforts to combat environmental damage brought on by “galamsey” practices, and this ruling follows suit.
Shaibu entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to conduct a crime involving mining without a valid license and illegal mining.
He received 10,000 penalty units for each of the two charges, for a total of 20,000 penalty units.
Shaibu will be required to pay the fine for each case separately, even though the 18-year prison sentence will run concurrently.
Before being sentenced, Shaibu begged the court to let him go back to Togo, where he vowed never to mine illegally in Ghana again.
Judge Abigail Animah Asare, however, underlined the gravity of the offense and its catastrophic effects on Ghana’s natural resources, calling for a severe punishment.
The court also granted bail to five other people who were detained for suspected unlawful mining in Akyem Adasawase, in addition to Shaibu’s sentence. Awuli David and Robert Mawuli were given GH¢50,000 bail each, while Eric Niko and David Kodza were given GH¢250,000 bail each. A lesser bail of GH¢20,000 with more stringent restrictions was given to Nana Kojo Ayimadu, who is suspected of being a galamsey kingpin.
