Private legal practitioner Justice Abdulai has said that the jail term handed to the Chinese National Aisha Huang for engaging in illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) is refreshing news.
He says this should serve as a warning to all persons whether foreign or local, to stay away from galamsey.
Speaking about her jailing on News Central on TV3, Justice Abdulai said “I think this is rather refreshing news that the state is willing to walk the talk. This will be the biggest deterrent for both foreign nationals and locals who are bent on destroying our environment to the detriment of all of us and without taking our collective good into consideration but their selfish interest. This should serve as a good warning to them.”
An Accra High court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei-Marfo, on Monday, December 4 sentenced Aisha Huang to four years in prison after being found guilty of engaging in Galamsey.
She was also fined GHC48,000, TV3’s Joseph Ackah-Blay who was in court reported on Monday, December 4.
The Court ruled that Aisha Huang did not have a license to undertake any mining activities in Ghana.
Aisha Huang was first arrested and deported from Ghana in 2018.
This was after the A-G decided to file nolle prosequi to discontinue her trial in which she was accused of engaging in small-scale mining without licence. She however returned into the country to allegedly engage in galamsey again.
In October 2022, the A-G then decided to prosecute her for the alleged crimes before her deportation and new ones committed since her entry back into the country.
She had pleaded not guilty to undertaking a mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, the illegal employment of foreigners, and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry.
But on May 3, this year, Aisha pleaded guilty to entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry contrary to section 20(4) of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573.