Court Delays Galamsey Case on JoyNews Crew to April 2026
The Bekwai Circuit Court has adjourned the trial of Edelmetallum Resources Limited employees accused of assaulting a JoyNews investigative team to 15 April 2026.
The decision, handed down on Monday 8 December 2025, follows an appeal lodged by the defence at the Obuasi High Court seeking a stay of proceedings until the appeal is resolved.
Counsel for the accused, who asked to remain unnamed, told the court that proceeding with the trial would prejudice the appeal, and the court granted the request. All eight accused have pleaded not guilty and were released on bail.
The eight facing charges include assault, conspiracy to commit a crime and theft. Five additional suspects remain at large, and a earlier “no case” submission for four of the accused was dismissed by the same court.
According to prosecution records, the incident unfolded on 20 October 2024 at about 11:30 a.m. when four JoyNews journalists – Erastus Asare Donkor, Majid Alidu, Edward Arkoh and Nicholas Suantah – travelled to Manso Asumenya to document illegal mining allegedly carried out by Edelmetallum Resources.
The crew was reportedly ambushed, beaten and forced into a vehicle guarded by two heavily built men before being taken to a remote forest area near Asanko Gold Mines at Manso Nkran. The journalists’ refusal to delete video footage triggered the violence, leaving Donkor and Alidu with swollen eyes and the others with various injuries.
Prosecutors also allege that the attackers seized the team’s mobile tablets, a drone and several SD cards. While some equipment was later recovered, the 128 GB SD card containing the investigative material remains missing. A black pack bag reportedly containing a Lenovo 12 Pro tablet, a drone bag with five batteries, a power bank, a JBL headset, a Ghana Civil Aviation licence and other personal items valued at GH₵ 35,000 was also stolen.
The journalists filed a complaint with Manso Adubia Police, leading to the arrests of the eight suspects. The High Court is now set to hear the defence’s appeal, leaving the case on hold pending its decision.
Further updates will be provided as the appeal proceeds and the court schedules the next hearing.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
