American, five others granted GH¢900k bail in gold smuggling case

A Circuit Court in Accra has granted bail to six people accused of operating at the heart of an illegal gold trading ring. Each of the accused was admitted to bail at GH¢900,000 with two sureties following their first appearance on September 29, 2025.

The accused persons — Smart Philander (A1), an American national; his Moroccan wife, Nina Elfseky (A2); and four Ghanaians, Nana Yaw Sarpong Boateng (A3), Sowa Elisha (A4), Evans Arhin (A5), and Anold Otutey (A6) — all pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, unlawful gold trading, attempted smuggling, and unauthorised assaying.

Prosecutors told the court that officers from the Ghana Gold Board Taskforce had been tracking the accused for weeks over suspicions that they were part of a smuggling network. Intelligence suggested they were soliciting gold from individuals without licences and preparing to move it outside the country illegally.

On September 25, 2025, undercover operatives arranged a sting at SSNIT Emporium near Marina Mall, where Philander allegedly agreed to purchase five kilograms of gold for export. Using his own assaying equipment, he tested the mineral before handing over payment to an undercover officer. It was at that point that the taskforce swooped in and arrested all six suspects.

The court, presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah, adjourned the case to October 27, 2025 to allow investigations to continue.

The Ghana Gold Board has since vowed to intensify its crackdown on illegal operators, warning that offenders will be pursued relentlessly and prosecuted under the Gold Board Act.