A Tarkwa circuit court has sentenced four thieves to a total of 20 years for stealing 17 fertilizer sacks of gold concentrated sand, valued 26,412.3 Ghana cedis from Goldfields Ghana Limited (GGL), Tarkwa mine.
The convicts, Charles Gyamfi, 46, a formal mining supervisor with GGL Tarkwa mine, Samuel Darko, unemployed 49, Philip Eshun a 38-year- old illegal miner and Peter Akwasi Aboagye, trader, 31 were in addition charged for unlawfully been on the company’s concession.
They pleaded guilty.
Prosecuting, Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant Francis Kwaku Asare is a security officer of GGL, Tarkwa mine.
He said in December, last year, whiles Charles was off duty he met the other convicts in his house at Tarkwa and conspired to enter GGL, Tarkwa mine premises to steal gold concentrate, they agreed to execute the operation on December 31.
According to the Prosecutor, Charles resumed work on December 31 and asked the others to meet him at an un-approve route behind Brahabebome, a suburb of Tarkwa heading into the mines.
Detective Amponsah said Charles drove the company’s vehicle to the spot to convey his accomplices into the mine and after loading the 17 sacks of gold concentrate into the vehicle, he drove towards the approved route.
He said on their way the complainant and his colleagues who were on duty spotted and arrested them together with the exhibits and handed them over to the police for investigation.
The Prosecutor said when the exhibit was sent to the Goldfields laboratory at Tarkwa for assay report the exhibit concentrate was valued at 26,412.1 Ghana cedis.
He said after investigation they were charged with the offence.