Judges in galamsey areas need Chinese to aid trials – Justice Mensah

Supreme Court nominee, Justice Philip Bright Mensah, has proposed that judges assigned to illegal mining (galamsey) hotspots be given Chinese language training or that the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) be adequately equipped to provide professional Chinese interpreters.

Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Justice Mensah emphasized the need for better communication in the prosecution of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese nationals, involved in illegal mining activities.

He noted that while Ghana’s minerals and mining laws are robust and punitive enough to deter offenders, the challenge lies in effective enforcement.

Justice Mensah highlighted a recurring challenge in prosecuting foreign nationals, which is the language barrier.

To address this, he proposed two solutions: “One area I also want to maybe hammer or suggest is that there are foreigners who are also engaging in this galamsey activities, destroying our forests and the rest of it. When they are arrested, especially these Chinese people, when they are arrested and sent to the court, the difficulty is that they don’t speak English.’

“Even if they can understand English. And because the Chinese or the police enforcement agencies also are unable to speak their language, it becomes more and more difficult to get them prosecuted. So, I would suggest strongly that the judges who are in the areas where these galamseys are going on, the judges must either be taken to China for further studies in Chinese language or they should bring experts to train our judges.”

He added that while interpreters are sometimes used, the system is not always reliable and can create further complications in court proceedings.