Lands Ministry Staff Jailed 15 Months with Hard Labour for Extorting over GH¢200K from Illegal Miners

• A staff of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been handed 15 months jail term with hard labour
• Gabriel Gyamerah Sarpong was accused of extorting over GH¢200,000 from illegal miners to help them carry out illegal mining activities
• The convict pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretence when he appeared before the court on September 16

Gabriel Gyamerah Sarpong, a staff of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with hard labour.

The convict was accused of extorting over GH¢200,000 from illegal miners to aid them carry out illegal mining activities.

Graphic Online reports that Sarpong was arrested on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, on the instruction of the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker.

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The convict was handed over to the Ministries Police after he allegedly admitted to the extortion claims.

Sarpong pleaded guilty when he appeared before an Accra Circuit Court on Friday. He was incarcerated for 15 months with hard labour by the presiding judge, Evelyn Asamoah.

The convict pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretence. He was charged with two counts of falsely pretending to be a public officer and defrauding by false pretence.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the count of pretending to be a public officer. The case has been adjourned to October 12, 2022, for trial to commence for the second charge.

35-Year-Old Ghanaian Man Jailed 3 Years For Stealing Policeman's Huge Plantain

YEN.com.gh previously reported that a 35-year-old Ghanaian man identified as Moses Mensah is serving a three-year jail term for stealing plantains from a police officer at Saltpond in the Central Region.

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Recounting how he ended up in jail, he admitted that he had stolen over 20 plantains on several occasions from the police officer in the past.

Mensah told Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng of Crime Check TV that he sold the stolen plantains for money and was subsequently arrested with the help of an informant.

Source: YEN.com.gh