Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has denounced what he described as misleading comments from certain sections of the public following the judgment in the galamsey queen, Aisha Huang case.
He emphasized the importance of factual accuracy in public discourse to maintain the sound and efficient administration of justice and to support the ongoing fight against illegal mining.
In a statement, Godfred Dame urged the public, including legal professionals, to be mindful of the facts presented in the case and refrain from making comments that could potentially jeopardize the justice system’s integrity.
“After a trial in which the prosecution called 11 witnesses and the accused person gave evidence in her defence, the High Court presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Lydia Osei-Marfo, on 4th December 2023, convicted the accused of all offences and sentenced her to various terms in prison to run concurrently.
i. Counts one and two – four (4) years and six (6) months in prison (in hard labour) as well as a fine of three thousand (3000) penalty units;
ii. Count three – twelve (12) months in prison (in hard labour);
iii. Count four – one thousand (1000) penalty units or in default, to serve a term of three (3) years imprisonment.
- The learned judge considered the fact that the offences of undertaking a mining operation without a licence and facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation without a licence with which the accused was charged, were committed between February 2015 and May 2017, at a time that the
Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995), which imposes a punishment of a minimum of twenty (20) years in prison for a non-Ghanaian together with a fine of between one hundred thousand penalty units and three hundred and fifty thousand penalty units, had not been passed,” the statement said.
Read the full statement below: