Aisha Huang, the infamous Chinese galamsey kingpin standing trial over her alleged activities in the illegal mining sector of Ghana, has told a court in Accra that never has she or any of her business concerns been engaged in galamsey.

She explained this in the opening of her defense in the case brought against her by the State on Monday, July 10, 2023.

En Huang popularly referred to as Aisha Huang, submitted her witness statement to court denying ever being into galamsey and explaining her relationship with four other accused persons.

With respect to the galamsey charge, she told the court: “Neither my company nor myself have engaged in mining or facilitated mining in any form by any person or group of persons.

“I do not know and have not been to any of the sites captured in the videos, pictures and maps tendered in evidence by the prosecution witnesses,” the accused told the court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo.

With respect to the other accused persons, she explained that she lived at Ahodwo in Kumasi in the Ashanti region; owned a supermarket, from where she learned basic English language to enable her run the day-to-day activities of the business.

She added that both Ghanaians and other Chinese Nationals patronised her business.

“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,” she stated in her witness statement, she added.

Aisha Huang was rearrested after she was repatriated from the country, but found her way back within a period that she was not allowed to return to Ghana.

She is standing trial on charges of entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry contrary to section 20(4) of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573; and charges of engaging in illegal mining.

SARA

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