Aisha Huang trial: Court calls first witness to the stands

The first witness in the case involving Chinese national; Aisha Huang who has been arrested for allegedly engaging in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey), has made his appearance in court.

Supt. Ransford Aborabora of the Ghana Immigration Service; the first witness, told the court that he was part of the enforcement team that first chanced on her illegal activities.

The witness told the court that on May 6, 2017, he led a team to Obuasi, where they stormed a site where galamsey activities were ongoing.

This was during the period that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had placed a ban on the activities of small-scale mining in the country.

Supt. Aborabora told the court that regardless of this, they had received intel to the effect that some people were flouting the directive and had been mining at the said site.

He said that on reaching the location, they were able to arrest four Chinese nationals, one of whom was called Gao Gin.

He also told the court that Gao told them that they were working for Aisha Huang and that their passports were even with her.

The witness added that the team then took videos and pictures as evidence, which he tendered in to the court.

The video, according to GhanaWeb’s reporter, George Ayisi, was played in court.

The defence, in their cross-examination, stated that they did not have any direct evidence that Aisha was involved in galamsey or that she was in charge as alleged by the other Chinese national who was arrested.

The prosecution then concluded its cross-examination for the day.

The trial has been adjourned to November 14, 2022.

However, the lawyer for Aisha Huang, Nkrabea Effah Dartey, appealed for bail for his client but it was again denied, on the same grounds that the accused is a foreigner with no social ties to Ghana.

Background:

Ms. Huang in 2017 was charged for undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).

She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).

Her case was however discontinued and she was deported. Her deportation meant the state discontinued the trial against her.

She however found her way back into the country leading to her recent arrest. An Accra Circuit court last week remanded Aisha Huang and three other Chinese nationals into custody to reappear on charges of illegal gold mining and trading.

Her recent arrest is on the same issues of illegal mining.

AE/WA