Pressure Group, Democracy Hub has sued the John Mahama-led government over the decision to deport foreigners arrested for illegal mining activities commonly known as galamsey.
It will be recalled Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, the Interior Minister announced the decision by the government to deport the foreigners engaged in galamsey.
He stated, “What we found, the kind of activities that were purely destroying citizens around the world, using a system that is set up, that was so sophisticated. Many of them are into our forests. Many of them are cutting our trees unlawfully. Others are involved in galamsey activities. And many, many other crimes”.
“For these two crimes, when we arrest any foreigner, we are not interested in prosecuting him. Our first option is to take them back to their country. And this is something that we are very serious about,” he added.
According to the Democracy Hub, the declaration that the deportation of foreign nationals arrested for engaging in illegal mining without prosecution constitutes a violation of Section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
They are demanding the following reliefs, “A Declaration that the selective decision not to prosecute foreign nationals, while prosecuting Ghanaians for the same offences, constitutes unequal treatment before the law and violates Article 17 of the Constitution.
“A Declaration that the Government of Ghana has no legal authority to substitute criminal prosecution with deportation for offences under Act 703, and such deportations amount to unlawful interference with the administration of justice”.
“A Declaration that the policy of deporting foreign nationals accused of illegal mining, in lieu of prosecution under Ghanaian law, is not justified by any evidence of foreign prosecution and is therefore arbitrary, unlawful, and contrary to the rule of law.”
See the post below:
Galamsey Fight: Democracy Hub challenges government’s decision to deport foreigners arrested for illegal mining activities.#TV3GH pic.twitter.com/5MdnMpFZBW
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 17, 2025
