Galamsey: 47 Konongo-Odumase suspects remanded

The Juaso Circuit Court presided over by Mr Yusif Assibey who was on a relieving duties from the Juaben Circuit court, on Wednesday remanded 47 suspected illegal miners into custody to reappear on January 17, 2018.

The 47 were part of the 75 arrested by the leadership of the anti-illegal mining national task force, Operation Vanguard from various mining locations in the early hours of Monday in the Odumase community in the Asante Akim Central municipality of the Ashanti region.

All the 47 were charged with illegal mining while 10 others who were granted bail were also charged with abetment of illegal mining.

The pleas of the suspects were not taken and they were remanded in custody pending further investigations before their next visit to the court on Wednesday.

Four lawyers were in court to speak for the suspects.

Background
A publication in the January 3, 2018 edition of the Daily Graphic had raised the alarm over illegal mining activities that had resurfaced in the Konongo-Odumase municipality. A team from the national anti-illegal mining task force in the early hours of Monday subsequently conducted a swoop in selected sites at Odumase and the Owere Mines which resulted in the arrest of the 75 suspects comprising 70 males and five females.

After the initial screening, 57 suspects out of the number who were suspected to have direct involvement in the activities were sent to court to face the law.

During the swoop operation which started around 3:00 am on Monday, 121 grinding machines, three excavators, one saloon car, a motorbike and several other mining equipment were seized.