A popular Chinese woman reported to be a kingpin in the galamsey business, Huang Ruixia, alias Aisha Huang, has been re-arrested for a similar offence.
The 47-year-old Aisha Huang, who gained notoriety after her arrest in May 2017 and was tagged as the Galamsey Queen, was arraigned on fresh charges.
This time, the deported queen was charged with three others for engaging in sales and purchases of minerals without a licence.
She is also on a provisional charge of mining without a licence.
Her plea on the two charges was reserved due to the unavailability of a Chinese interpreter when she appeared at the Circuit Court in Accra on 2 September.
While Aisha Huang was arraigned last Friday with her plea yet to be taken, the remaining three – Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huiad Hiahu appeared before the court again today.
All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been remanded into custody to reappear on 14 September.
Even though the three were in court today, Aisha Huang, who had earlier appeared in court last Friday, was not present.
It was the case of the prosecutor Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Sarpong, that investigations were still ongoing.
He then prayed for the accused to be remanded into custody pending further investigations.
The facts as narrated in court are that the complainants are security and intelligence officers, and the accused persons are Chinese nationals.
The prosecution said Aisha had gained “notoriety” for engaging in a series of small-scale mining activities known as galamsey across the
country.
It said in 2017, Aisha was arrested for a similar offence, but she managed to “sneak out” of the country, averting prosecution.
The prosecution said early this year, Aisha “sneaked” into Ghana, having changed the details on her Chinese passport.
The suspect is said to have applied for a Togo visa and went through the borders into Ghana.
Aisha then resumed small-scale mining activities without a license and further engaged in the purchase and sale of minerals in Accra without valid authority as granted by the Minerals and Mining Act.
The prosecution said she engaged in the sale and purchase of minerals with the three accused persons and that intelligence led to their arrest.
All four accused persons are expected in court on 14 September.
Earlier charges against Aisha
Aisha and her compatriots were arraigned before the court on 9 May 2017 for engaging in illegal small-scale mining at Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.
She was charged with three counts of undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703); providing mining support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
The other four accused persons were charged with disobeying directives given by or under the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
According to the prosecution, Aisha had a mining concession at Bepotenten and also operated a mining support services company.
The four other accused persons, it said, were employed by Aisha to work at the mining site.
The prosecution claimed checks at the Minerals Commission revealed that Aisha had no licence to operate either a mine or a mining support services company.
They also contended that the visas issued to all five Chinese by the Ghana Embassy in Beijing, China, did not allow them to work in Ghana.
During the prosecution, the government controversially discontinued the case and deported her in December 2018.
More controversy followed when the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, at a town hall meeting in the US, suggested that Aisha Huang did not face the full rigours of the law for diplomatic reasons.
His comments were widely condemned by several individuals, including Veteran journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, who concluded that Mr Osafo Maafo goofed.
While pressure group OccupyGhana described the minister’s remark as “disrespectful”, the Media Coalition Against Illegal Small-Scale Mining demanded answers from the government after waging war against the galamsey menace.
“I think the decision to deport Aisha Huang in hindsight was a mistake, and that is why that process and procedure is being stopped,” he said at a forum at Princeton University during a visit to the United States of America.
With recent developments in legislation to fight illegal mining, the President does not expect such a mistake to occur again.
A foreigner engaged in illegal mining now faces a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years and not more than 25 years per the amended Minerals and Mining Act.
“The response to that has been the amendment of the law that… enhances sanctions for people; both Ghanaians and foreigners who are engaged [in illegal mining],” President Akufo-Addo said.