Shaanxi Mining Company Ltd has denied reports suggesting that three of its officials were arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for attempting to smuggle gold outside the country.

The mining company in a statement indicated that the officers are staff of the Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd. which is offering mine support services to two Ghanaian small-scale mining groups in the Gbane community in the Upper East Region.

According to the company, the gold was being transported from its mine site in Gbane through Tamale Airport to Accra for sale and “was not being smuggled outside this country.”

“There is an agreement between these two Ghanaian concessionaires and our company on shares of gold won from the mining activities from these two concessions. Parties have since the production of gold begun in the mine, been receiving their shares without challenges. However, we are informed that after the last production, one of our Ghanaian partners expressed dissatisfaction with the accounting processes.”

“On Tuesday 1st June 2021, the three company officials stated above, took gold meant to be our share of the last production, from our mine and were transporting same to Accra for sale. Our dissatisfied partner reported to the National Security that the gold was from his concession and he wasn’t satisfied with the accounting done on the gold won and requested the gold be confiscated to enable both parties sit to reconcile the figures before we proceed to sell our gold. National Security officials in Tamale signalled their partners in Accra to confiscate this gold upon their arrival. Our officers therefore were arrested at the KIA when they disembarked from the Tamale-Accra domestic flight,” it recounted.

The company however says it is surprised that its officials were “immediately handcuffed and their pictures taken in handcuffs and same going viral whilst the discussions between the parties are ongoing at the offices of the National Security.”

The company therefore wants the public to cease any further circulation of the said pictures and allow the investigations to come to a reasonable conclusion.

It stressed that it is a law abiding company, “providing state of the art, safe mine support services to these small scale miners whilst meaningfully and economically tapping the mineral to the benefit of all parties.”