Court directs Aisha Huang to open defense
The Accra High Court has dismissed a ‘submission of no case” filed by alleged Chinese illegal mining [galamsey] kingpin, En Huang, also known as Aisha Huang.
In a ruling today, the court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, held that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Aisha Huang, reports Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson.
Consequently, the court directed the accused person to open her defence to answer to the charges leveled against her.
Not guilty
En Huang, a Chinese national has been accused of being in the thick of affairs of galamsey, especially in the Ashanti Region.
She was deported from Ghana in 2018, after the A-G decided to discontinue her trial in which she was accused of engaging in small-scale mining without licence.
However, she was said to have sneaked back into Ghana to allegedly engage in the same activities for which she was deported.
The Attorney-General (A-G), Godfred Yeboah Dame, then decided to prosecute her for the alleged crimes before her deportation and new ones committed since her entry back into the country.
It is the case of the prosecution that Aisha had an illegal mining concession at Bepotenten in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region and also operated a mining support services company.
She has pleaded not guilty to undertaking a mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, the illegal employment of foreigners and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry.
Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh