The Chinese national charged with illegal mining activities in Ghana, En Huang, popularly known as Aisha Huang, and three others have been remanded for the third time by an Accra Circuit Court.
They are to remain in police custody for two more weeks.
It followed the request by the prosecution for more time to continue with investigations.
Presided over by Bright Acquah, the four accused persons in the dock – En Huang, Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei, and Huiad Hiahu — are facing the charge of engaging in the sale of minerals without license and mining without a license.
The accused have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and are to remain in custody to appear again on October 12, 2022.
The defense team led by Captain (retd) Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey had pleaded for bail but the court declined bail.
In court, Tuesday morning, (September 27, 2022) counsel for the accused repeated the bail application but it was opposed by state prosecutors.
In a ruling which denied bail to the accused persons, the presiding judge, Bright Acquah, expressed reservations about the extremity of illegal mining and its impact on the country’s ecosystem.
Illegal mining, he said was a situation destroying the country’s water bodies and threatening the existence of species in them.
The presiding judge subsequently remanded the accused persons over concerns about their availability to stand trial if granted bail.
Meanwhile, on September 16, 2022, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, filed fresh charges against Aisha Huang at the Accra High Court.
In the new charge sheet before the High Court, Huang has been slapped with four counts of undertaking a mining operation without a license, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, illegal employment of foreign nationals, and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry.
She has since pleaded not guilty to the four counts during the virtual court session at the court which remanded her to re-appear on October 12, 2022.
