Ghana may need a special court to handle land guard cases as Delays hamper prosecutions- Interior Minister
Gladson Afriyie
Journalist
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Interior Minister and Asawase MP, Hon. Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has suggested that Ghana may need a special court to handle land guard cases, citing judicial delays that weaken the fight against illegal mining and violent land offences.
Answering questions on the floor of Parliament today, Hon. Muntaka said security agencies have intensified arrests and prosecutions in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office. “I clearly stated that we have intensified the arrest and prosecutions. And we’ve been leading with the Attorney General’s Office,” he told the House.
Despite the ramped-up operations, the Minister admitted that slow court processes are undermining enforcement. “Except to also admit sometime the court delays… the delay sometime weakens the security agencies in their effort to get this done,” he said. “The best we are able to do is to present them before the court.”
He noted that suspects, including those caught with cutlasses and other weapons, are being charged. “Many that have been seen even with cutlass have been prosecuted for the use of it,” he added. Operations have also dismantled several networks linked to illegal mining.
Hon. Muntaka said he is generally reluctant to create specialized courts for every crime, pointing out that Ghana already has special courts for drugs and galamsey. “I don’t like to be saying that Mister Speaker that we may have to create special court for almost everything. Well now we have special court for drugs. We have special court for galamsey,” he said.
“But the way that it’s going maybe we may have to create a special court for land guard because the police have created units in almost all the prone areas.”
The Minister disclosed that anti-galamsey units have been set up in hotspots to focus solely on the menace. Suspects found with weapons face multiple charges. “Sometime when we get the weapons with them we see them we charge them on multiple grounds. One, on the anti-galamsey act… and then unlawful possession of weapons,” he explained.
He insisted security agencies remain active, but stressed that prosecution delays are the main challenge. “So that’s the only challenge. Other than that yes they are up to a touch and we see the weapons.”
