The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Taskforce has arrested six individuals, an American, a Moroccan and four Ghanaians, for engaging in illegal gold trading activities in Accra on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
The suspects, identified as Smart Philander (American), Nina Elfseky (Moroccan), and Ghanaians Nana Yaw Sarpong Boateng, Sowa Elisha, Evans Arhin and Arnold Otutey, were apprehended at the SSNIT Emporium near Marina Mall following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the taskforce.
According to GoldBod officials, the group was caught attempting to buy and assay 2.1 kilograms of gold, estimated at GHS 2.2 million, without the required licence as stipulated under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
Further investigations revealed that the American suspect was in possession of gold refining equipment, indicating plans to conduct unauthorized refining operations within the country.
The suspects have been arraigned before an Accra court on charges including conspiracy to trade in gold without a licence, engaging in unlicensed gold trading and assaying, and attempting to refine gold illegally, in violation of Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and Section 26(1) of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
In a statement, the Ghana Gold Board reaffirmed its commitment to sanitising the gold trading sector and enforcing strict compliance with national mining and trading regulations.
“No individual or entity, whether Ghanaian or foreign, is permitted to buy, assay or refine gold in Ghana without a valid licence from the Ghana Gold Board. Any such activity is a criminal offence and will be met with the full force of the law,” the statement cautioned.
The taskforce indicated that investigations are ongoing and that additional updates will be provided as the case develops.