Three Chinese and a Ghanaian have been granted a total of GHS180,000 bail by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for mining on a concession without license.

The three were mining on the concession of Golden Star Resources Bogoso/Prestea Limited (GSRBPL) in the Western Region.

The accused Sun Qun Shan, 46, and Lu Shi Lin, 44, are excavator repairers, and Zhang Hoa, 27, a spare parts dealer, are residents at Low Cost near Tarkwa while the fourth accused person, Paul Cobbina, is an excavator operator who was residing at Atobrakrom in Bogoso.

They pleaded not guilty and will re-appear before the court on June 4. Prosecuting, Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the Court, presided over by Mr Samuel Obeng Diawuo, that the complainant, Captain Retard John Saltson, Security Superintendent of GSRBPL, had complained of increasing activities of illegal miners on the company’s concession.

He said on June 22, GSRBPL security had information that some Chinese were operating within the company’s concession at Kumsuno near Bogoso. According to the prosecution, a report was made to the Prestea Police District Command. Detective Amponsah said a joint police and military team patrolling the Prestea and Bogoso districts swiftly went to the area and arrested the accused persons who were busily prospecting for gold. He said the accused persons were brought to the Prestea District Headquarters and were handed over to the police.