The suspect
The Western Central Regional Police Command has arrested two persons for extortion and impersonating officials of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Taskforce.
The two suspects, Foster Delord, aged 40, and Prince Worvi, aged 38, who claim to be ex-military officers, were arrested following a complaint received by the police that they were visiting different gold buyers claiming to be officials of the Gold Board Taskforce.
Exhibits retrieved from the suspects include one handcuff, one pepper spray, one electric shocker, one set of uniforms, and a cash amount of GH¢500.
The suspects have been put before the Tarkwa Circuit Court and remanded into police custody pending further investigation.
The Regional Police Command has advised the public to be cautious of individuals claiming to be officials of government agencies without proper identification.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, has yet to comment on the arrest of the suspects.
The arrest follows the recent inauguration of the GoldBod Taskforce by President John Dramani Mahama. The President, during the event, announced a series of strict oversight measures aimed at ensuring professionalism and public trust to tackle illegal gold trading and safeguard Ghana’s natural resources under the highest standards of operational integrity.
President Mahama mentioned that officers will wear body cameras in every operation they undertake, and the vehicles used by the taskforce will be GPS-tracked and monitored in real-time. In addition to these surveillance and monitoring provisions, President Mahama introduced a procedural requirement to further enhance accountability.
Mr. Gyamfi, speaking at the same event, cautioned against abuse of authority and emphasised that unprofessionalism will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
He declared that the team has been fully resourced to carry out its mandate of enforcing ethical gold trading and ensuring strict compliance with the law.
“With the support of the President, we’ve provided the necessary orientation, training, logistics, and resources for the taskforce to operate effectively and fearlessly,” he said, and added, “We expect nothing but professionalism and patriotism from them.”
While pledging full support to officers who act in good faith, he issued a stern warning to those who might be tempted to misuse their positions.
“Let me say that I have firm instructions to hold you to the highest standards of ethical conduct and accountability. We will protect those of you committed to doing your job, but we will deal ruthlessly with any member who brings the name of the government or the nation into disrepute.”
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke