The Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has disclosed that one hundred and eighty-seven (187) persons involved in illegal mining in the Eastern Region have been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment since 2017.
He also added that additional 250 culprits in the region are currently standing trial.
The A-G explained that out of the convictions, 39 are foreigners, made up of 29 Nigeriens, seven Nigerians and three Chinese.
A statement made available to the media by the A-G on Wednsday said the sentences were handed to the illegal miners in 48 cases.
It said the prosecution secured custodial sentences in 40 of the cases, while the courts imposed fines in the remaining eight.
It explained that the cases were prosecuted by the Eastern Regional branch of the A-G’s Office, headed by a Chief State Attorney, Emily Addo-Okyireh, with most of the cases tried at the Koforidua Circuit Court B.
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He named the regions as Greater Accra, Western, and Ashanti, and added that the public would be informed of the cases' outcomes once they were resolved.