Ghana’s “kind hospitality” was exploited by Aisha Huang – Judge

• Dec 4, 2023

Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the presiding judge who sentenced the prominent figure in illegal mining (galamsey), Aisha Huang, to four and a half years in prison, emphasized that the Chinese national exploited Ghana’s hospitality.

Aisha Huang was also fined GHC 48,000.

During the sentencing, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo stated, “The accused person abused our kind hospitality when her first trial was truncated and she was deported to her home country. She came back this time with a new personality, a different name, and a different date of birth.”

Aisha Huang faced charges in November 2022, including engaging in mining activities without a license, facilitating the operation of people in mining without a license, illegal employment of foreign nationals, and entering Ghana while prohibited.

Her trial spanned over a year, during which she pleaded not guilty to most counts, except entering Ghana while prohibited.

The state presented eleven witnesses, including farmers who sold land to Aisha Huang and witnessed her involvement in illegal mining. Video evidence showcased the environmental damage caused by her activities.

Upon evaluating the evidence, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo concluded that the state had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

During the mitigation phase, Aisha Huang’s lawyers proposed a fine and deportation instead of a custodial sentence, citing economic hardships and the condition of Ghanaian prisons.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa, advocated for imprisonment along with a fine.

Justice Lydia Marfo, constrained by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act 2019, 995, which sets a minimum of 15 years for the offense, imposed a custodial sentence of 4 and a half years for illegal mining counts and 12 months for illegal employment and entering Ghana while prohibited.

The sentences are to run concurrently, and Aisha Huang is required to pay a fine of 48,000 Cedis for all counts, with imprisonment as the default consequence for non-payment.

theindependentghana.com