Galamsey: Chief of Kwapia sues Minerals Commission, two others

• Chief and Krontihene of Kwapia has sued the Minierals Commission

• According to them, they aided some Chinese nationals to engage in galamsey

• They said the Chinese mine in a concession which belongs to the people of Kwapia

Nana Gyamena Kwabena Oyiakwan II, Chief of Kwapia in the Adansi District of the Ashanti Region and Nana

Read full articleAnokye Ababio, Krontihene of Kwapia, have sued the National Minerals Commission, Obuasi and two others at the Obuasi High Court for aiding four Chinese nationals to engage in a galamsey activity in a concession that belongs to the chiefs and people of Kwapia without their consent.

Nana Oyiakwan and Nana Ababio in their statement of claim said the three defendants, including the Obuasi Municipal Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency, permitted, assisted and encouraged the Chinese nationals to mine.

According to a Daily Graphic report sighted by GhanaWeb, the counsel for the Plaintiff, Nana Obiri Boahene and Associates, alleged in a writ filed that, the defendants benefitted from the sharing of proceeds from the minerals.

The plaintiffs are, therefore, praying to the court to help them recover their land and ensure that it is properly reclaimed after the Chinese, who have since been deported, left a number of uncovered dug-outs.

They are, as well, seeking compensation and relief, including GH¢500,000, for the destruction of the concession.

Background

The Daily Graphic report indicated that, His Lordship Justice E. Senyo Amedahe, a High Court judge in Kumasi, ordered the immediate deportation of four Chinese for mining for gold on disputed 40-acre land.

They were Shi Li Wen, Huang When Jun, Li De Hao and Lan Hai Song.

The four were arrested together with a Ghanaian accomplice, Asamoah Kati, for mining on the land earmarked for educational purposes with the aid of gunmen providing security for them.

The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants, although not Ghanaians, were facilitated to possess ECOWAS identity cards and Ghana cards and were working without work permits.

Justice Amedahe in his ruling, appealed to the minister for the Interior to reconsider the use of the discretion of the immigration officers in granting resident permits to foreigners who arrived in the country on 60 days, B1 visas.

"It is a discretion which is being abused by government officials with the assistance of non-government workers largely who unfortunately are Ghanaians, to the benefit of our foreign visitors, leading to the destruction of our environment here in Ghana," he said.