Bekwai court grants bail to 31 over alleged illegal mining in forest reserve

The Bekwai Circuit Court has granted bail to 31 people accused of preparing to undertake illegal mining in the Apamprama Forest Reserve in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

The group — 28 Chinese nationals and three Ghanaians — were arrested by officers of the Forestry Commission late last year after they allegedly established a base camp inside the protected forest, believed to be a staging point for an imminent galamsey operation. They were initially remanded into police custody after their first appearance in court last week.

Bail was granted on Wednesday after lawyers for the accused, led by Dominic Kwadwo Osei, applied to the court. The application was contested by the prosecution, represented by the Attorney General’s Department, but the judge ruled in favour of conditional release.

Each accused person has been granted bail in the sum of GH₵200,000 with two sureties to be justified. The court directed that all sureties must be Ghanaian citizens and ordered that their Ghana Cards be deposited at the court registry. The passports of the 31 accused persons are also to be surrendered as part of the bail package.

The Registrar of the court and the case investigator have been instructed to ensure strict adherence to the bail terms.

The Apamprama Forest Reserve has already suffered significant environmental damage, with about half of its area said to be degraded. Authorities say illegal miners have frequently attempted to enter the reserve, often claiming to be carrying out land reclamation to mask unauthorised mining activities.