Civil society organisation Democracy Hub has taken legal action against the government for deporting foreign nationals involved in illegal mining activities commonly known as galamsey without prosecuting them.
The suit, filed at the High Court in Accra, lists the Minister for the Interior, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), and the Attorney-General as defendants.
According to Democracy Hub, the government’s current approach violates Section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), which requires that all individuals engaged in illegal mining face prosecution under Ghanaian law. The group claims that more than 100 foreign nationals involved in galamsey have been deported without being tried in court.
The Ministry of the Interior, in response, maintains that the deportations are not intended to show leniency or favouritism. Instead, the ministry says the policy is a protective measure to safeguard Ghana’s national interest and avoid abuse of the legal process.