Court fines a ‘galamsey’ operator

Avenor Segbeya, a 32-year-old illegal miner (galamsey, who was found mining for gold in the Birim River, has been fined GHS240.00 for mining illegally.

He pleaded guilty at a Kade District Magistrate’s Court presided over by Mr Abdul Majid Iliasu.

Police Chief Inspector D.T. Nartey, prosecuting, told the court that the complainants were security personnel of the Great Consolidated Diamonds Ghana Limited (GCDGL), at Akwatia.

The Police on their normal patrols to track down illegal miners, saw Segbeya and others busily mining for gold in the Birim River near Kusi with a mining machine known as “chanfan”.

On seeing the security men, the other illegal miners fled, but unfortunately for Segbeya, he was arrested.

In his explanation, Segbeya said he was only an employee tasked with fetching water from the river to feed the machine floating on the river.

The Magistrate, in sentencing him said he was dealing leniently with Segbeya because he was young and a first offender.

“The real people to be sentenced are the big birds and not the flies,” he said.