A former Deputy Defense Minister, Major Retired Derick Oduro says the government should prosecute Chinese national Huang Ruixia alias Aisha Huang if she is found guilty.
An Accra Circuit Court remanded Chinese national Huang Ruixia alias Aisha Huang and three others for allegedly engaging in illegal mining in Ghana, a report by Graphic stated.
The accused persons were charged for engaging in sale and purchase of minerals without a licence.
The other three are Jong Li Hua; Huang Jei and Huiad Hiahu, all Chinese nationals.
Aisha Huang is facing an additional charge of engaging in mining without a licence.
She was arraigned last Friday [September 2, 2022] and her plea to the charges are yet to be taken by the court presided over by Bright Acquah since the court had no Chinese interpreter at the time.
While the three other suspects were arraigned Monday, September 5, 2022, Aisha Huang was absent.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charge and have been remanded into custody to reappear on September 14, 2022.
According to the facts presented by the prosecutor, Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Sarpong, Aisha Huang had previously escaped prosecution in Accra when she was arrested in 2018.
According to the prosecutor, she returned to her country [China] and changed her identity only to come back to Ghana to commit the same crime of which she escaped prosecution earlier.
According to the prosecution, the suspect applied for a Togo visa and went through the borders into Ghana and back to the galamsey business in a town in the Ashanti Region.
The three others with her, according to the prosecutor, were selling mining equipment and dealing in gold without a valid licence in Accra.
They were arrested upon intelligence by National Security officials.
They are expected to re-appear before the court on September 14,2022.
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Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Major (Retired) Derick Oduro noted that when the issue came up in 2018, Aisha Huang was allowed to go because the then Chinese Ambassador to Ghana intervened, adding that Ghana at the time needed favours from the Chinese Government and therefore allowed her to go.
That followed the filing of a nolle prosequi to discontinue the trial by state prosecutors.
However, this time, Derick Oduro was of the belief that if there is evidence to show that she is guilty, then she must face the law.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
