Founder of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, has alleged that Chinese ‘Galamsey Queen’ Aisha Huang, who was re-arrested for illegal mining, is not being kept in a police cell despite being denied bail.
Mr. Odike said that he did not trust the security officers handling the issue and was convinced that the lady is not sleeping in police cells.
“I can tell you on authority, Aisha Huang doesn’t sleep in police cells,” he told TV3 in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report.
When asked to provide evidence to that effect, he said, “Even the president is saying that he is not sure that she was deported, so you trust our security apparatus? No.”
The ‘Galamsey Queen’, Aisha Huang, was arrested in 2017 for engaging in illegal mining. The 47-year-old Chinese national was later deported in 2018 by the government, a move which triggered questions about Ghana’s commitment to eradicating the menace.
On Friday, September 2, 2022, the ‘Galamsey Queen’ was re-arrested at her residence in Kumasi for her alleged involvement in selling and purchasing minerals without a license.
Her return to the country shocked many Ghanaians, sparking outrage.
Aisha Huang was said to have returned to China, changed her identity, and returned to Ghana to commit the same crime.
She is said to have 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.
What are the charges?
On Friday, September 16, four charges were filed at an Accra High Court against Aisha Huang. They include;
- 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.
- 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
- Illegal employment of foreign nationals contrary to section 24 of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573)
- Entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry contrary to section 20(4) of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573.