The Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, has made it clear that the NDC government will not pursue legal prosecution against foreign nationals involved in illegal mining (galamsey) and fraudulent activities in Ghana. Instead, he revealed that a new policy direction is being implemented which will lead to the immediate deportation of such offenders upon arrest.
Speaking in Accra, the Minister stated that the government is focused on ridding the country of external actors fueling environmental degradation and financial crimes rather than expending resources on lengthy prosecutions.
“We are not interested in prosecuting people who are destroying our environment and defrauding people across the globe,” he said.
The Minister has also ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately reassign all police commanders stationed in areas identified as galamsey hotspots.
According to the Ministry, the shake-up is intended to inject fresh energy into the enforcement efforts and eliminate complacency in law enforcement ranks.
The Interior Ministry maintains that the reshuffling of security personnel and the shift in policy from prosecution to deportation are part of a broader strategy to strengthen the state’s capacity to deal with illegal mining and transnational fraud.
Authorities believe that removing foreign culprits from Ghana’s jurisdiction swiftly will serve as a more effective deterrent and restore confidence in the country’s sovereignty and rule of law.
The government says it remains committed to an aggressive clampdown on illegal mining, which continues to threaten Ghana’s rivers, forests, and farmlands, with the added concern of foreign nationals playing central roles in the ongoing destruction.
