Acting Managing Director of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), Sammy Gyamfi, has disclosed that the upcoming GoldBod Bill will introduce special powers to curb illegal gold smuggling in the country.
He lamented the lack of a dedicated agency to tackle gold smuggling, stating that enforcement has been left to general security agencies while speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday,
“We are not enforcing the law on gold smuggling, and we don’t know the agency that is dedicated to the fight against gold smuggling.
“We’ve left it to the normal security agencies. But now you’re going to see in this bill, special powers given to the GoldBod, such as the right to appoint GoldBod inspectors,” he explained.
According to him, once the bill is passed, GoldBod inspectors will have the authority to act independently against offenders.
“If they have cause to believe that you are engaged in illegal gold trading or smuggling, they can seize your gold, they can impound, they can confiscate, they can go to court for such warrants by themselves,” he emphasized.
Gyamfi believes that the bill, once approved and assented to by the President, will be a game-changer in the fight against gold smuggling.
“This is going to be special… Let the bill be passed and let the President assent to it. You can’t totally eliminate them, but for the first time, you will see gold smugglers being arrested, their gold seized, and them being taken to court to be prosecuted and convicted,” he stated.
The GoldBod Bill is expected to introduce a structured legal framework to strengthen the regulation and enforcement of gold trading laws in Ghana.
