Galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, has been remanded into police custody over illegal mining by an Accra Circuit Court. This was after she was re-arrested together with three others for their involvement in the crime. They have been charged with mining without a license and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals. They are expected to reappear in court on September 14, 2022.
They all pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court preserved her plea because there was no Chinese interpreter, according to a Ghana News Agency report. The three are Johng Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun.
The facts as narrated in court are that the complainants are security and intelligence officers and the accused persons, are Chinese nationals. The prosecution said Aisha had gained “notoriety” for engaging in a series of small-scale mining activities known as galamsey across the
country.
It said in 2017, Aisha was arrested for a similar offence, but she managed to “sneak out” of the country, averting prosecution. The prosecution said early this year, Aisha “sneaked” into Ghana having changed the details on her Chinese passport.
It said Aisha resumed small-scale mining activities without a license and further engaged in the purchase and sale of minerals in Accra without valid authority as granted by the Minerals and Mining Act. The prosecution said she engaged in the sale and purchase of minerals with the three accused persons, and that intelligence led to their arrest.
