In May 2017, Aisha Huang, a Chinese woman tagged Galamsey Queen for her notoriety in illegal mining in the country, was arrested and charged but had to be deported under bizarre circumstances.
Various comments or opinions about the deportation were expressed, including that of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufp-Addo that the decision to deport Aisha, on hindsight, had been found to be a mistake.
In an era where news travels with the speed of light to everywhere on the globe by the aid of the internet, it could be concluded that Aisha Huang had learnt of the displeasure Ghanaians had expressed about her deportation.
Under normal circumstances, Aisha should have thanked her stars and decided to not come to Ghana again to risk being re-arrested and prosecuted.
Therefore, it came as a shock the news that the Chinese Galamsey Queen had sneaked into the country, acquired a non-resident Ghana Card and resumed the very nefarious activity that resulted in her arrest and deportation later and that she and three others and been remanded.
Ace Ankomah, a private legal practitioner and member of pressure group OccupyGhana, has stated that charges preferred against Aisha in 2017 could have warranted a 20-year jail term.
The Ghanaian Times believes that Aisha’s lawyers know all the issues and may have made her aware of them,
In fact, there should be questions as to why Aisha then would take the risk to come back to Ghana to engage in the very illegal activity for which she had previously been in trouble with the law.
Every Ghanaian citizen or organisation has the right to pose such questions.
Thus, the Ghanaian Times would like to ask whether there are faceless persons behind Aisha’s boldness or foolhardiness to dare Ghanaians in general.
Can it be a case of assurance of loopholes in the country’s laws that she can exploit to her advantage?
Is it not a blot on the country’s justice system if, according to Mr Ankomah, OccupyGhana had to petition the Attorney General in May 2017 to let the state go by the Minerals and Mining Act and prefer the relevant charges against Aisha instead of some petty administrative issues, including immigration matters?
And even after that, Aisha suffered only deportation, which later was described as a mistake.
Fortunately, Aisha has dared the whole country by her return here and resumption of her illegal activity and been arrested.
This is the time to avoid a second mistake as the court has remanded her in police custody and is expected to reappear on September 14.
In the meantime, the Ghanaian Times joins Mr Ankomah to ask whether the state is going to spare Aisha Huang another prosecution.
In spite of that question, Mr Ankomah, a legal practitioner as he is, expects fair trial of Aisha so that if she wins her case, she is set free but if the law grips her, then the appropriate sanctions must be applied.
No doubt, Aisha’s prosecution would have a significant impact on the on the war declared against galamsey in the country.
