Gyinam Fisheries Limited of Tema, has failed to pay the US$1 million penalty imposed on it by government following the arrest of one of the company’s vessels earlier last year for illegally fishing in Ghanaian waters.
The penalty and an additional fine of GH¢ 124,000, was due to be paid by November 8, 2019, by Gyinam Fisheries, following a 30-day period agreed upon by the Fisheries Commission and the management which ended on November 8.
The industrial Chinese trawler, Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956 (AF 756), was arrested by the Fisheries authorities and charged with illegal fishing in the Western Region while heading to Cote d’Ivoire for fishing expedition on Sunday, June 16, 2019.
Consequently, the matter would have to revert back to the court for further direction since the out-of-court settlement had failed, the Ghanaian Times sources have disclosed.
“They have not paid the penalty and so we will go back to court soon,” the source at the Western Regional Directorate of the Fisheries Commission (FC) told the Ghanaian Times, but, did not give a definite date.
The source however, suggested that the Ghanaian Times contact the Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission for confirmation.
It recalled, that the penalty was arrived at the Fisheries out of court settlement committee in Takoradi, comprising Fisheries Commission, Marine Police, Ghana Navy and Attorney General’s Department arranged an out of court hearing of the case on October 9, 2019 with counsel representing the accused persons and company, Mr Wahid Iderisu Wampouri, the Western Regional Director of Fisheries Mr Godfrey Tsibu-Baidoo.
2020 AllAfrica