Chinese National infamous for galamsey-related offenses and charged with illegal mining, Aisha Huang has denied engaging in illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey).
She made the denial when she opened her defense in the case against her by the State Prosecution.
The Court had earlier ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her.
In court on Monday, July 10, 2023, En Huang popularly referred to as Aisha Huang submitted her witness statement to court.
As part of her witness statement, she narrated how she came into contact with the four other Chinese nationals arrested with her.
According to Ms Huang, she resided at Ahodwo in Kumasi in the Ashanti region, owning a supermarket which helped her appreciate basic English language for her day-to-day routine; a feat she added made her the point of reference for both Ghanaians and other Chinese Nationals.
She, however, denied engaging in illegal mining and facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation. She also noted that she never operated a mining site.
“I am a Chinese national and lived at Ahodwo, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana from 2011 until I was deported in December 2018.
“I say that between the years 2013 and 2018 I operated a supermarket popularly known as Aisha Supermarket at Ahodwo, Kumasi having a dominantly Chinese customer base.
“I say again that I have no formal English or Twi language education and cannot read or write any of these two languages.
“I say yet again that by virtue of my long stay in Ghana and interactions with Ghanaians, I have a beginner’s appreciation of the English language for my daily routine in Ghana.
“I say further again that by virtue of my long stay in Ghana, the operation of my supermarket and beginner’s appreciation of spoken English, I became very popular among Chinese nationals, my people, living in Ghana especially those who find their way to Kumasi specifically and the Ashanti Region in general because most of them cannot speak or understand Twi and English which are the main languages of communication and interaction in the Region.
“I became a point of reference, the go-to person and a place of safe custody for most of my people which I am happy to do though it came with huge responsibilities and risks like the ongoing prosecution.
“I also became a point of reference for most Ghanaians and some state institutions including the Ghana Immigration Service in their dealings with Chinese nationals in the region.
“For the reasons stated above, I knew about the presence of Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibi Gao and Zhang Zhipeng in the Ashanti Region. They are Chinese, my countrymen. However, I did not facilitate their coming to Ghana and they do not work for me or my company.”
By Laud Adu-Asare|3news.com| Ghana