No more prosecution, we will deport you – Minister of Interior warns foreigners over galamsey

The Minister of the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has announced the government’s decision to deport foreigners involved in illegal mining from the country as part of strict punitive measures to be enforced against them.

According to him, the government will prioritise deportation measures against such culprits rather than prosecuting them in court especially in criminal cases of galamsey and fraud.

Addressing a gathering of police officers in the Ashanti Region on April 4, 2025, Muntaka expressed concerns about the involvement of foreigners in unscrupulous and fraudulent activities upon their arrival in the country, with illegal mining being the most prominent issue.

“Many of them are trespassing in our forests, cutting trees unlawfully. Others are involved in galamsey activities, as well as various other illicit activities. We have decided on a new policy addressing two main issues: if you are in our forest, whether engaging in galamsey or unlawfully cutting trees, or involved in fraudulent activities, whether through computers or other means, our approach will be the same. When we arrest any foreigner for these two crimes, we are not interested in prosecuting them. Our first option is to deport them back to their home country,” he stated.

The minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Asawase, emphasised the government's commitment to ‘weeding out’ corrupt foreign individuals who are wreaking havoc on the country's resources and lands.

Muntaka further urged the police to collaborate with the Attorney General, stating that the latter has been briefed on the latest developments.

“And this is something that we are very serious about. And you are the first point of call when people are arrested, and they are handed over to you. Please, if it involves these two things, the prosecutors within the police have officially written to the Attorney General.

“We are not interested in prosecuting people who are destroying our environment and who are defrauding people across the globe. What we want is that we want to take them back to their country and then we put them on the stop list, never to come back to the country,” he stated.

MAG/EB

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