Civil society organisation Wacam has called for immediate investigations into allegations that public officials are extracting unlawful payments from illegal miners in exchange for protection and non-enforcement of mining laws.
The demand follows a recent JoyNews Hotline Documentary titled “A tax for Galamsey: The extortion racket fueling illegal mining,” which exposed alleged extortion practices in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
In a press statement issued on, Wacam’s Technical Director, Kwaku Afari, described the allegations as evidence of a serious breakdown in governance.
“Any payments extracted from illegal mining activities, however they are described or justified,are themselves unlawful and cannot legitimately accrue to the benefit of the State or any public institution,” Mr Afari stated.
The documentary reportedly implicated public officials and persons exercising public authority within local governance and enforcement structures, who allegedly receive payments to tolerate illegal mining operations.
Wacam noted that such practices represent a reversal of institutional mandate, with law enforcement bodies encouraging the very conduct they are required to prevent.
“The suggestion that unlawful payments extracted from illegal and irresponsible mining activities could be justified as revenue at any level of governance is deeply troubling and demands urgent public clarification and accountability,” the statement read.
The organisation emphasised that irresponsible mining has remained one of Ghana’s gravest environmental threats for three decades, affecting water bodies, farmlands and livelihoods, particularly for farmers, women and youth.
Wacam argued that addressing illegal mining through tolerance and administrative compromises rather than firm law enforcement weakens the rule of law and entrenches corruption.
The group reminded authorities that Ghana’s mining laws criminalise not only unlicensed mining operations but also anyone who facilitates, encourages or protects such activities, with sanctions including heavy fines and long prison terms.
“The State must therefore ensure that institutions and public officials mandated to stop illegal and irresponsible mining enforce the law without compromise, rather than enabling or benefiting from the very activities the law criminalises,” Mr Afari added.
Wacam called for prompt, independent investigations into the documentary’s allegations and firm enforcement action against both operators and public officials found to have abused their mandates.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com