Accra, Ghana//-Concerns have been raised about whether En Huang popularly known as Aisha Huang was indeed deported.
The Chinese national who was recently re-arrested by the National Security operatives for illegal mining activities on water bodies was deported in 2018 after she was arrested over similar charges only for intelligence led exercise by the security agencies in the Ashanti Region to reveal that the Galamsey Queen has been domiciled in the country for months.
Unconfirmed reports also suggest that she may have been resident in the country way beyond that period.
Alarmed that such a suspicious character outwitted the security agencies, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the MP for North Tongu has asked for a full scale probe into circumstances leading to the deportation of Aisha Huang.
“At this point, we are very doubtful. It is clear that she has very deep roots and she has allies up there in high places who are helping her to beat the system.
“This is why we insist that the only way to unravel the Aisha Huang debacle is to have a full-scale probe into this matter.
“We must have an independent investigation to know if truly she was deported, and where she was deported to, China or Togo?” he quizzed.
Sources have however confirmed that Aisha Huang was indeed repatriated from Ghana. According to sources, the Ghana Immigration Service issued a notice of revocation of permit and repatriation dated 19th December, 2018, addressed to En Huang.
The notice was signed by the Comptroller-General, Kwame Asuah Takyi.
There is also a boarding pass in the name of En Huang on Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. ET 920 from Accra to Addis Ababa dated December 19, 2018.
She was placed at seat no. 32F and had used gate C7 to board. She had flown economy class-L and had allegedly boarded at 11:35.
Meanwhile, Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has declared his commitment to prosecute Aisha Huang for her past and recent crimes.
He has requested details of evidence compiled by investigators in 2018 and what has been compiled on alleged recent offences.
This was announced in a social media post by the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Prof Kwesi Aning noted that punishing Aisha Huang alone would not help eradicate the problem of illegal mining.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, he explained that Aisha Huang does not operate on her own and everyone involved in her business must be exposed as well.
“Punishing Aisha Huang alone does not begin to tinker with the problem or the extent of the problem. We need to ask ourselves who are those that have colluded with her, connived with her, facilitated her business to the extent that we are even in doubt if she left this country,” he said.
Prof Aning added that the Attorney General’s decision to examine Aisha Huang’s past crimes also opens up some interesting opportunities for the country.
He stated that some of these questions include “what was the basis for Aisha Huang to be able to be exfiltrated from Ghana when we knew she had committed crimes that threaten our very existence and these are not threats that are identifiable in the short term.”
Prof Aning explained that illegal mining in the long term does not only affect water bodies but its effects also trickle down to other parts of people’s livelihood including food security.
“Even in war, when you poison your water it is not an acceptable thing but we have voluntarily in peacetime colluded with foreigners to destroy our water bodies and the painful thing is the bombasting explanations that are given to justify this,” he said.
His comment comes after Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, announced he was set to prosecute notorious ‘galamsey’ poster girl, Aisha Huang for her past and recent crimes.
He requested details of evidence compiled by investigators in 2018 and what has been compiled on alleged recent offences.
“The Attorney General per his request, assures that he will initiate prosecution against Miss Huang, in respect of her current alleged offences as well as those of 2017 before her deportation from Ghana in 2018,” the Justice Ministry added in a social media post.
The ‘galamsey’ kingpin stoked controversy when she was arrested back in 2017 for engaging in the unlawful activity.
The 47-year-old Chinese national was in 2018 deported by the government, a move which triggered questions about Ghana’s commitment to eradicating the menace.
But the announcement of her re-arrest within the country’s borders has reignited this concern.
Aisha and her three accomplices were on September 2, charged with engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license.
Prof Aning said that he was also disturbed about “the amazing rapidity with which state institutions that had failed to act suddenly claim to be acting, but in whose interest?”
He questioned whether the state institution that claimed their intelligence led to the arrest of Aisha Huang are working in their selfish interest to avoid facing questions about the loopholes in their agencies.
“I have also requested IGP Dampare to investigate this assertion by a miner that she is able to get a commander transferred. If that is true then the very edifice of this state, those who should be protecting us, those we have entrusted with our lives have failed and failed us woefully,” Prof Aning said.
He also believes the fight against illegal mining is non-existent following the rearrest of Aisha Huang.
“What we call a fight are simple rhetorical flourishes to give a false sense that we are doing something that prevents us from asking the very difficult questions,” Prof Aning stated.
Myjoyonline
