Aisha Huang, the ‘galamsey kingpin’ who was deported in 2019 is back in Ghana and has been re-arrested for engaging in illegal mining. She has been slapped with two charges which are: mining without licence, engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a valid licence.
She was arrested with three others — Johng Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun. Aisha Huang and her accomplices were brought before an Accra Circuit Court last Friday. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) reported that, the court preserved Aisha’s plea because there was no Chinese interpreter. GNA reported that, at the court, Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Sarpong prayed for the court to remand the accused persons while investigations continue.
The galamsey kinpin and her accomplices were subsequently remanded. They are to re-appear in court on September 14, 2022. Citi News understands that Aisha came to Ghana from a neighbouring country through a land border, and sneaks out if she picks up information about her potential arrest.
The facts as narrated in court are that the complainants are security and intelligence officers and the accused persons, 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.
