Court seizes passports of Chinese illegal miners

The Koforidua High Court has granted bail to three Chinese nationals and three Ghanaian accomplices arrested for illegally mining at Denkyira near Nkawkaw in the Eastern region.

The passports of the Chinese have also been confiscated. The six suspects were granted bail of Ghc30,000 with two surety each.

The accused persons are Gao Suba, 43, Wu Shao Lin 44, Wu Enzing, 45 – all Chinese nationals. The Ghanaians are Benjamin Amaning, 22, Raymond Ayambilla,30, and Atta Dankwa 31. They are facing charges of conspiracy to commit crime, mining without license.

The court had earlier granted bail to Benjamine Amaning, 22, a Ghanaian accomplice in the case following a bail application filed by his counsel. The defense counsel argued he was not part of the alleged illegal operation. The case was adjourned to June 9, 2017.

The accused persons were arrested on April 1, 2017 at Denkyira, a village near Nkawkaw during a swoop led by the immediate past New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Richardson Kumeko.

The police impounded four excavators, three pump action guns and 68 cartridges used by the accused persons at their mining site.

Four other Chinese nationals suspected to be accomplices of the accused persons but managed to escape during the swoop were later arrested by the Nkawkaw divisional Police Command and are also standing trial.