Supreme Court Judge nominee Justice Philip Bright Mensah has suggested that judges assigned to illegal mining areas receive training in the Chinese language to tackle the ongoing difficulties in prosecuting foreign nationals involved in galamsey.
During his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Justice Mensah stated that language barriers pose a significant challenge to successful prosecutions, especially when Chinese nationals are implicated.
“When they are apprehended, particularly these Chinese individuals, and brought to court, the challenge is that they do not speak English. Even if they comprehend English, they often refuse to communicate in it,” he remarked. “Moreover, since the police and enforcement agencies are also unable to converse in their language, it complicates the prosecution process.”
He emphasized that the absence of effective interpretation during court proceedings frequently obstructs justice delivery, allowing offenders to evade accountability.
“The interpreters themselves can sometimes be problematic,” he continued. “Thus, if the Judge understands the language, it would enhance his ability to comprehend the proceedings, enabling us to effectively address the issue of galamsey.”
To mitigate this challenge, Justice Mensah recommended that either the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) be equipped to offer Chinese language training locally or that judges be sent to China for language education.
“Judges must either be sent to China for advanced studies in the Chinese language, or the JTI should be provided with resources to bring in experts to train our Judges,” he asserted. “Because if an individual has committed an offense and you are unable to prosecute them, it is tantamount to saying, ‘let me allow them to go free.'”
