Fighting galamsey: Sex men must own up – Ashigbey

Individuals in authority entrusted to fight galamsey who have been caught up in the Chinese sex video blackmail must reach out for help, especially with the leadership of the media, before it becomes too late, Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Kenneth Ashigbey, has urged.

Mr. Ashigbey, who is leading a media coalition to end galamsey and its adverse effects in the country, made the appeal to officials caught in the scandal in an interview on Class FM in Accra yesterday, emphasising: “we all make mistakes and it is better to stand up and say: “I made a mistake in this issue. There are times criminals are used as prosecution witnesses and then they would be pardoned for what they have done.”

He was reacting to comments by the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako Jr., who made claims that some “powerful people” and stakeholders who are supposed to fight the galamsey menace are unable to do so because they are being blackmailed by powerful Chinese women they have had sex with.

Mr. Baako’s comment follows the arrest of four Chinese workers by officers of the Ghana Immigration Service on a galamsey concession at Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.

The concession, according to reports, belongs to one Chinese woman called Asia Huang, also known as Aisha.

Reacting to the development on Newsfile on Multi TV on Saturday, 6 May, 2017 Mr. Baako said the Chinese had video and audio recordings of her sexual escapades with big men both within the previous and current administration and was, therefore, untouchable.

According to him, Aisha brings into town other Chinese girls to have sex with some “big men” in the country, hence their inability to arrest her for engaging in galamsey.

He told the show host: “This particular Chinese woman, I have it on record, was arrested three times during the previous administration and three times she was released.

She is a very powerful woman who operates more within the Ashanti Region, especially Kumasi. She’s got connections from my own checks also in this administration. She appears to be a very smooth operative.

“She’s built a network across the political divide. She’s got her agents placed in state institutions, particularly the security agencies, and she’s able to wriggle herself out of danger or trouble anytime she’s touched. I hope it doesn’t happen this time round.

“…She’s got accomplices, the other one is called Monica, the other name has slipped me because it’s a Chinese name. Part of their strength is that they built up a certain system of blackmailing.

They are women so I’m not going to use certain words; I’m not going to say certain things. As to when they came into town, what they intend to do, who they were, what they were, had nothing to do with galamsey, but gradually they moved from that particular trade into galamsey.

“They have video and audio recordings of people who are powerful, videos of people who we have entrusted with responsibilities to protect us as a people. That’s how dangerous the game is and that is where the strength and power of these Chinese women are coming from.”

Asked what the videos contain, Mr. Baako said: “They have them in videos containing sex. They have video and audio recordings of their conversations with some strategically placed persons from then and now and some they are having sex with. Also, they have girls, some mainly Chinese, who they brought into town to sleep with these big men well placed and they use it to blackmail our big men into submission.”

Mr. Ashigbey stated that he does not have any of such tapes or evidence to back the claim “but for anybody who would be blackmailed in this quest you should note that you cannot succumb to the whims of people blackmailing you because blackmailing itself is criminal.”

For him, the best place anyone caught in that web could turn to is the leadership of the media fraternity, adding: “once you shine light on something that is dark, there is no way that it will survive.”

He emphasised that once the media get hints of such engagements, they will investigate to expose the matter and the people involved, so it would be better to seek help.

“Once we the media get to know anything, we will follow it to the logical conclusion and start asking questions. So, definitely, you will be caught somewhere so I am praying that for anybody who has got something to do with enforcement of laws, don’t allow anybody to blackmail you,” he reiterated.