Fresh charges for 'galamsey queen' Aisha Huang

State attorneys in the case involving the five Chinese nationals – including the 31-year old supposed illegal mining (galamsey) queen, En Huang popularly called Aisha Huang or Yaa Asantewaa – have for the third time filed fresh charges against the accused persons.

The Chinese on trial are Gao Jin Cheng, 45; Lu Qi Jun, 39; Haibin Gao, 26; Zhang and Zhang Pen, 23.

The accused persons were first charged under the Immigration Act which was later replaced with another under the Immigration and Mining Act.

But at the trial yesterday, Mrs. Mercy Arthur, a chief state attorney handling the case, again came with a new charge sheet.

She informed the court that a new charge sheet that comes with a new fact sheet had been filed on July 5 to replace the earlier one filed on May 23.

It may be recalled that the trial judge, Justice Charles Edward Ekow Baiden, had complained about the lack of a supporting charge fact sheet, and ordered the state attorneys to “put their house in order.”

The new charge sheet presented to the court has the supporting fact sheet, with the five accused persons charged under both the Mining and the Immigration Acts.

Justice Baiden admitted the new charge sheet and entered it into the court’s records.

The court also granted bail to two of the accused persons who had their bail application declined when it emerged that they had failed to meet the (bail) conditions.

This was after Charles Owusu Juanah, counsel for the accused persons, had told the court that his clients had found their missing passports which they had to submit as part of the requirements for bail.

The accused persons reportedly worked as illegal miners at Bepotenten in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.

At the time of their arrest, galamsey had been outlawed by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu.