MCEs collecting fees from galamseyers are facilitating illegality – Ken Ashigbey

Ashigbey said the alleged practice raises serious questions about the commitment of local authorities to the fight against illegal mining, particularly when public institutions mandated to protect communities and the environment are accused of collecting revenue from activities deemed unlawful.

His concerns echo the central finding of the JoyNews A Tax for Galamsey investigation: that the collection of fees from illegal mining operators risks creating the impression that payment to a public authority can substitute for the licences and environmental approvals required by law.

His comments come against the backdrop of the JoyNews investigative documentary, A Tax for Galamsey: The Extortion Racket Fuelling Illegal Mining, which exposed allegations that a district assembly in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region had been collecting payments from operators of prohibited mining equipment.