Executive Director for the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Kenneth Ashigbey has charged the government to prosecute Chinese National, Aisha Huang if found culpable of the charges levelled against her.
According to him, bringing Aisha to book will aid the fight against illegal mining which is posing a threat to the country’s natural resources and serve as a deterrent to others.
“She is being prosecuted and she will be prosecuted under Ghanaian law in Ghanaian court if she is found guilty which I believe she should be found and I think I am not making prejudicial comments but I am saying that given the fact that I have, I am expecting that Aisha Huang will be found guilty, convicted and sentenced and thrown into Ghanaian jail,” he said.
His comment comes after the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, filed four new charges against ‘Galamsey Queen’ Aisha Huang.
These charges, according to the Attorney-General, cover offences committed between 2015 and 2017.
Aisha Huang, who is currently on trial for her involvement in illegal mining activities known as ‘galamsey,’ was initially charged with the sale and purchase of minerals without a licence and engaging in illegal mining without a licence.
The Attorney-General filed new charges on Friday, September 16, 2022, including: “Undertaking a mining operation without a licence contrary to section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703 as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act 2019, Act 995” and “Facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation contrary to section 99 (2)(a) & (3) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703 as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act 2019, Act 995.”
The others are; “Illegal employment of foreign nationals contrary to section 24 of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573)” and “Entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry contrary to section 20(4) of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573.”
Aisha Huang is standing trial together with three accomplices, who are all Chinese nationals. This is the second time Aisha is facing trial in the country over ‘galamsey.’
On September 14, 2022, she was denied bail by an Accra Circuit Court in a separate case in which she and three accomplices were charged with the offence of engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a licence.