Two Chinese nationals remanded for allegedly engaging in illegal mining

His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, presiding over the Circuit Court in Accra, has remanded two Chinese nationals into National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) custody while granting bail to a Ghanaian national on health grounds. The three were charged with engaging in illegal gold mining activities without proper authorization.

The accused persons, Yang Zang Khen, Pan Cha Lan (both Chinese nationals), and Nicholas Adarkwah, a 32-year-old Ghanaian businessman appeared before the court to face two counts: Mining Without Authority contrary to Section 99(2)(c) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2019 (Act 995), and Conspiracy to Commit Crime under Sections 23(1) and 99(3) of the same Act.

According to the prosecution led by Simon Tegalo, the accused persons were apprehended on 5 July 2025 by officers from the National Security Gold Board Task Force during an anti-illegal mining operation at Feneso-Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region.

Chinese nationals, Khen and Lan were found transporting black sand suspected to contain gold quartz. During the arrest, Adarkwah arrived at the scene and allegedly identified himself as a business partner of the two foreigners, appealing for their release.

The officers, however, proceeded with the arrest of all three individuals and transferred them to the National Security Council Secretariat for investigation.

Court documents revealed that efforts are underway to secure the services of a Chinese interpreter to facilitate communication and ensure a fair trial process. The prosecution informed the court that investigations are ongoing and that further charges may be filed.

While Khen and Lan were remanded into the custody of the NIB, Adarkwah was granted bail due to a health condition, asthma.

He was released on a GH¢50,000 bail, to be executed by two sureties without justification, one of whom must be a civil servant.

The case has been adjourned to July 22, 2025 to allow time for the completion of investigations and for the provision of interpretation services.

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