Galamsey Kingpin Aisha Huang, 3 Others Arrested, Remanded

A popular Chinese woman reported to be a kingpin in the galamsey business, Huang Ruixia alias Aisha Huang has been arrested again and arraigned for fresh charges.

However, Aisha Huang, who was a household name in Ghana five years ago, was charged together with three others for engaging in sales and purchases of minerals without a license.

She is also separately on a provisional charge of engaging in mining without a license.

Her plea on the two charges was reserved due to the unavailability of a Chinese interpreter when she appeared at the Circuit Court in Accra on September 1.

While Aisha Huang was arraigned last Friday with her plea yet to be taken, the remaining three – Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei, and Huiad Hiahu appeared before the Circuit Court presided by His Honour Bright Acquah, on Monday, September 5.

They have all pleaded not guilty to the charge and have been remanded into lawful custody to reappear on September 14.

Even though the three were in court today, Aisha Huang who had earlier appeared in court last week was not present.

It was the case of the prosecutor Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Sarpong that, investigations are still ongoing.

All of them have been remanded into lawful custody.

The brief facts of the prosecution, Aisha Huang had previously escaped prosecution in Accra when arrested earlier.

She was said to have returned to her country and changed her identity only to come back to Ghana and commit the same crime.

She is said to have applied for a TogoVisa and went through the borders into Ghana and back to the galamsey business in a town in the Ashanti Region.

The three others with her are said to be selling mining equipment and dealing in gold without a valid license in Accra.

They were arrested upon Intelligence by National security.

The case has been adjourned to September 14.

Previous charges

In May 2017, Aisha Huang gained some notoriety after her arrest and was tagged as the Galamsey Queen.

She had been charged with three counts of undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703); providing mining support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, and contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).

Meanwhile, in the course of the prosecution, the government controversially discontinued the case and deported her in December 2018.