Chief Justice urges Immigration collaboration against galamsey, cybercrime

The Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has raised concerns over the increasing involvement of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese, in illegal mining activities in Ghana, highlighting it as a factor behind the establishment of specialised courts to fast-track such cases.

 

He made the remarks during a visit to the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, on February 4, 2026, emphasising the need for stronger cooperation between the judiciary and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to tackle crimes involving foreigners.

 

“Some of the ways of dealing with the crime of the day are the creation of a special force. We all know the state of cross-border crimes, such as human trafficking, cybercrime, and galamsey.

Particularly, galamsey may not be considered cross-border, but because of the people involved in it.

 

“We cannot close our eyes to the fact that the Chinese have invaded our galamsey sites. In some towns, you have Chinese people selling tools for galamsey. They buy the gold in these areas. The Chinese involved in the galamsey are not conjured; they are from China, so how do they get here or enter our borders?” the Chief Justice said.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie also called for greater collaboration to address other pressing security challenges involving foreign nationals, including cybercrime and narcotics trafficking.

He stressed that coordinated efforts between law enforcement and immigration authorities are critical to preventing and prosecuting such crimes efficiently.