By: Beatrice Oppon
The hearing at a High Court was disrupted for a few minutes after alleged Chinese illegal miner, Aisha Huang broke down in tears over what she describes as lies being leveled against her in the criminal trial.
She denied claims by the prosecution that she held on to passports of some two Chinese nationals because she had brought them from China to work on her faulty excavator.
She explained that she had the Passports of the two because they sought her assistance to renew their permits which had expired.
Aisha Huang denied accusations that she facilitated the coming of some Chinese nationals into the country and employed them to engage in illegal mining.
According to her, she is not involved in any illegal mining activities in Ghana.
Aisha Huang who was sobbing in court claimed innocence in the on-going criminal trial against her. She denied any wrongdoing and told the Court she could swear by her words.
It took efforts by the Trial Judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo and the Chinese Interpreter to calm her down.
Director of Public Prosecution, Yvonne Obuobisa Attakora who cross examined the accused questioned why she arranged for two of other accused persons to be picked up from the Airport to Bepotenten, if they were not in the country at her instance.
Aisha Haung said that the statement was not true, explaining that she had no knowledge of their arrival in Ghana because she did not facilitate their travel.
The Prosecution pointed out a portion of Aisha Huang’s statement taken on August 30 2017, where she stated that, she engaged the services of one of the Chinese nationals, to provide repair services at a mining site at Gyaman in the Ashanti region, but she denied.
She added that, she was asked to sign the statement because that was the only way she could leave the Police station and that she did not understand the content of any of the records.
Aisha Huang is before the Court on four charges including entering the country when she had been prohibited from doing so.
The rest are undertaking mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in mining operation and illegal employment of foreign nationals.