Legal Practitioner, Ace Ankomah thinks the government acted in bad faith by deporting a Chinese national, Aisha Huang in 2019 after her reported involvement in illegal mining in Ghana. Mr Ankomah said the government should have tried Aisha Huang to serve as a deterrent to others who intend to exploit Ghana’s natural resources.
Speaking on Citi TV‘s Point of View, the leading member of the pressure group, OccupyGhana argued that the decision to deport Aisha Huang negatively impacted the government’s fight against galamsey. “They allowed her to go. Today, she is back because we did not jail her. We did not even give the court the opportunity to free her. The day we let her go was the day we lost the fight against galamsey.”
The debate surrounding galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, has been reignited after she was recently arrested and remanded into police custody over illegal mining. Reports indicate that Aisha came to Ghana from a neighbouring country through a land border.
Upon her arrival, she also acquired a Ghana card in February 2022 with a new name, Huang En. Mr Ankomah argued that a review of the government’s approach to dealing with foreign nationals involved in illegal mining will play a significant role in nipping the canker in the bud.
“Our law says if someone mines our gold, the government takes ten percent. It is time to change the law.”
