Former President John Mahama has accused the national leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party of engaging in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, the presidency has hijacked small scale mining and has made it a preserve of its party members.

Speaking in an interview with TV3, Mr Mahama said the NDC will be fair in the operations of small scale mining if they win the December polls.

If you go to many places, the DCE is involved in galamsey, the National executives of the NPP are involved in galamsey, because they say the party needs money to function,” he said.

I will grant amnesty to galamseyers

Mr. Mahama has promised to release all Galamsey operators and labourers who have been sentenced by the Akufo-Addo government if he wins the December polls.

The former President says these illegal miners, popularly referred to as ‘galamseyers’ would be granted amnesty so they can return to their families and take up decent work.

Speaking at Adum Banso of the Mpohor Constituency in the Western Region, to kickstart day four (4) of his campaign tour to the Region, Mr Mahama stated that it is ridiculous to have a foreigner engaged in the same illegal activity, released without any prosecution or fine but sentence “our very own people to these consequences.”

He said he will get them back to the fields to work in a more controlled environment as captured in the NDC’s manifesto.

“It’s sad. The government said it was fighting galamsey and they arrested, prosecuted, and jailed Ghanaians who were engaged in that activity but left the Chinese woman.”

“Today, they are still in prison. That Chinese galamsey-queen was arrested but left to go free. She was never prosecuted but our people are in jail suffering. “When we come, we shall grant all those arrested and jailed some amnesty. They will come back to their homes and work. I believe that they have suffered enough, shown remorse for whatever wrong they committed. We have instituted measures to check on the operations of small scale mining and this shall address all those issues that riddled the sector in years past,” Mr Mahama clarified.