In a significant legal development, the Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced George Fynn, an apprentice welder, to 20 years of hard labour for engaging in illegal mining under a high tension cable. Fynn faced charges of conspiracy and illegal mining, to which he pleaded guilty.
The prosecution, led by Mr Kingsley Agyekum, Assistant State Attorney for the Western Region, presented the case before the court presided over by Mrs Hathia Ama Manu. The complainant in the case is Joseph Ntiful, the unit committee chairman at Esuoso in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality.
According to Mr Agyekum, Fynn had accomplices named Effah and Christian, both of whom were at large. The prosecutor explained that illegal miners had been exploiting a portion of land beneath an electricity high-tension cable on the outskirts of Esuoso.
To prevent any damage to the high tension cables, the chief of Esuoso had taken measures to fill in the pits dug by the illegal miners. However, on August 30, 2021, around 2:30 a.m., Fynn and his accomplices, in defiance of the ban on mining in the area, dug three new pits at the same site and began illegal mining.
Upon receiving a tip-off, the chief of Esuoso ordered the arrest of the accused persons. A witness residing near the scene approached the site, causing Fynn and his accomplices to flee. Fynn, however, was unable to escape and was apprehended.
The chief instructed the complainant to hand over Fynn to the Tarkwa Police, where a formal complaint was lodged. The court's decision to impose a 20-year prison sentence on George Fynn underscores the seriousness of illegal mining activities, especially when they pose a threat to critical infrastructure like high-tension cables.
