Nothing wrong with Mahama granting amnesty to convicted ‘galamseyers’ – John Jinapor

Former Deputy Power Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor has stated that there is nothing wrong with former President, John Mahama granting amnesty to convicted galamseyers when the bigger culprits are off the hook.

During a discussion on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show monitored by MyNewsGh.com, Mr Jinapor questioned why the Akufo-Addo government refused to convict galamsey Kingpin, Aisha Huang but convicted other illegal miners of the same crime.

He slammed President Akufo-Addo and others for criticising former President John Mahama for promising to grant amnesty to convicted miners.

“Look at a typical example like the Aisha Huang case. Why was she not prosecuted? That is the question President Akufo-Addo should be answering. He is the head of state. President Mahama doesn’t have state power. He is not the chief executive of Ghana. John Mahama said those minor miners who have been convicted he will grant them amnesty but he will set the floor.” He disclosed

According to Mr Jinapor, there has been selective justice meted out to these illegal miners convicted. He explained that those who have committed heinous crimes have been left off the hook.

The MP for Yapei-Kusawgu added that the amnesty promised these convicted miners is a matter of principle and fairness because those behind the act have been left off the hook.

Four years ago, in the run-up to the 2020 general elections, National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Dramani Mahama pledged that if he is elected again, he will pardon all illegal miners (galamseyers) who had been imprisoned by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration.

At the beginning of day four of his campaign tour of the Western Region, in October 2020, Mahama made the following statement at Adum Banso in the Mpohor Constituency: “It is ridiculous to have a foreigner engaged in the same illegal activity released without any prosecution or fine but sentence “our very own people to these consequences.”

The former president added that he would get illegal miners back to the fields to work in a more controlled environment as captured in his party’s manifesto for the December 2020 polls.