It has emerged at the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court that galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang was airlifted to China on an Ethiopian Airlines when she was repatriated on December 19, 2018.
The court was also told that the notorious galamsey queen was repatriated at about 12:50pm in an Economy Class flight while her documents were handed over to the Captain to be given to her upon arrival at her destination.
There have been controversies as to whether the galamsey queen was deported or repatriated out of the country following recent developments.
These came to light when Aisha Huang appeared before the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court for four charges including re-entering Ghana without a permit.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In court, on Friday, September 16, 2022, while presenting the brief facts of the case on Aisha Huang’s latest charges, Mercy Arthur, a Principal State Attorney told the court that, Aisha Huang’s stay permit was revoked four years ago.
“On 19th December 2018, the Attorney-General entered nolle prosequi and terminated the trial,” the Principal State Attorney told the court.
She added that “the same day, the Comptroller-General of Ghana Immigration Service revoked her permit to remain in Ghana indefinitely, ordered her immediate repatriation to China, and directed her to stay out of Ghana until the Comptroller-General approved of her future re-entry into Ghana.
“Consequently, she was put on Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. Et 920, which took off at about 12:50 pm on 19h December 2018 to Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, en route to Guangzhou-China.”
Captain handed over Aisha Huang’s travel documents
Mercy Arthur told the court presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Lydia Osei Marfo that, Aisha Huang “sat on seat No.32 F(Economy Class) and her travel documents handed to the captain of the flight to be handed to her at her final destination, Guangzhou China.”
Brief facts
The Principal State Attorney while being led by the Director of Public Prosecution Mrs. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa also told the court that, on May 5, 2017, at about 12:00 pm, Officers of Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Obuasi Municipal Command, arrested four male Chinese nationals.
The four, she said, were Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Gao and Zhang who were actively mining at an illegal mining site at Bepontenten in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
She said, upon their arrest, they told the arresting officers that they were sent to mine at the site by Aisha Huang and their passports were with her in Kumasi.
She added that, the arresting officers sent the four arrested persons first to the Obuasi Office of GIS and subsequently to their Kumasi Office and that En Huang (Aisha Huang) who had received information about the arrest of her Chinese employees, proceeded to the Regional Immigration Office, Kumasi to find out if they had been brought there even before the arresting officers arrived in Kumasi.
Mercy Arthur said, Aisha Huang left upon realizing they had not yet been brought to the Kumasi office.
Great difficulty
The Principal State Attorney said, the Regional GIS office in Kumasi called Aisha to report to the Office with the passports of the four arrested miners.
“With great difficulty, En Huang eventually produced the passports of only Hai bin Gao and Zhang Zhipeng. The visas of these two arrested persons showed that they came to Ghana on B-1 visas (business visas) which did not qualify them to be engaged in any type of work in Ghana.
“They were however engaged by En Huang to undertake mining operations without the requisite licence at Bepotenten,” she noted.
Invasion of farmlands
The State said, “investigations disclosed that En Huang took over the farms of several farmers by mining around their farms and destroying access routes to the farms till they eventually gave over their farms to her for mining purposes.”
“She had in the process of mining destroyed their cash crops, sources of drinking water, and livelihoods.
The accused person was arraigned before the High Court, Accra, on charges of illegally undertaking a small-scale mining operation contrary to section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703 and illegal employment of foreign nationals contrary to sections 24 and 52(1) (d)of the Immigration Act,2000, Act573.
New charges
Count 1: 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.
Count 2: 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.
Count 3: Illegal employment of foreign nationals contrary to section 24 of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
Count 4: Entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry contrary to section 20(4) of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Murtala Inusah
