The Registry of the Accra High Court has served hearing notice to the Attorney General’s Department and lawyers in the case involving the popular galamsey suspect Aisha Huang and four others to appear in court on Monday, October 16, 2017.
The case was expected to resume yesterday, but the trial judge had to take part in the training course, hence the new date.
At the opening day of the substantive hearing, it emerged that Ms Huang’s supposed Ghanaian husband was missing and could not be traced in the country.
The prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs Yvonne Atakorah Obuobisah told the Criminal Court of the Accra High Court that, all efforts to locate the said Ghanaian husband of Ms Huang had proved futile since she was arrested in May.
While presenting the facts of the case after all five had pleaded not guilty to their respective charges, the DDP said their investigation had shown that the said husband held three passports of different countries.
On May 5, 2017, at about 12 pm, officers of the Ghana Immigration Service GIS) in Obuasi arrested the Chinese nationals for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities at Bepotenten.
Their investigation, she said, had shown that Miss Huang held three passports of different countries. She also said the first accused person produced an indefinite resident permit issued on April 8 2015.
Charges
Speaking through a Ghanaian Chinese interpreter, Mrs Esther Annor Ado, lawyer for the accused persons denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Miss Huang has been charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, (Act 703), and providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act.
She has also been charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to Section 24 of the Immigration Act, 200 (Act 573) and Regulation 18(1) of the Ghana Immigration Regulations, 2001 (L.I.1691).
The four other Chinese nationals– Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Ju, Haibin Gao and Zhang Zhipeng have been charged with disobedience of directive given under the Immigration Act 2000 (Act 573).
Evidence in-chief
An officer of the GIS, ASP Reuben Ransford Aborabora, of the Service Enforcement Unit, while being led in evidence by the DPP said he led a group of six servicemen to effect the arrest of the alleged Chinese illegal miners.
According to him, as part of their work, they check the validity of permit issued by the service and therefore they were mandated to visit dwelling places and homes of expatriates under their jurisdiction.
He said upon reaching there the foreigners together with some Africans were spotted but immediately they saw them they took to their heels prompting the others to also run but the officers managed to apprehend some of them and brought them to Obuasi.
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