Ranking Member on Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has given an update on his investigation into the arrest of female Chinese galamsey (illegal mining) kingpin Aisha Huang.
In his latest update on the Aisha Huang case, Mr Ablakwa disclosed that the Chinese national supposedly deported from Ghana in 2018 had been back in the country since February 2019.
He indicates that Aisha Huang had trekked between Ghana and Togo over the past three years until her recent arrest in August this year.
“We can confirm that Aisha Huang has footprints of her physical presence in Ghana from as far back as February 27, 2019 — yes, more than 3 years ago, and much longer than originally portrayed.
“We now know that Aisha Huang has been living in Ghana and Togo for more than 3 years before obtaining her Ghana Card on February 27, 2022,” he stated in a Facebook post sighted.
Aisha Huang was arrested in 2017 and charged with various offences, including illegal mining.
However, to the disappointment of many Ghanaians in support of the fight against galamsey, the state filed to discontinue her trial and subsequently deported her from the country in 2018.
The Senior Minister at the time, Nana Yaw Osafo Maafo, justified her deportation by saying it was rather in the country’s interest.
However, President Akufo-Addo took a different position by describing her deportation as a “mistake.”
But according to Mr Ablakwa, his current investigations confirm that Aisha Huang, despite her supposed deportation, was trekking between Ghana and Togo even before the statements by the president and the senior minister.
