Aisha Huang’s Foray In Search Of Ghana’s Yellow Metals: Twists And Turns

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She re-entered the country and not until September 2, 2022 when she was re-arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities, there was nothing publicly known about her presence in the country.
The 36-year-old, En Huang known popularly in the galamsey world as Aisha Huang was repatriated to China in 2018.

The repatriated entrepreneur who allegedly entered Ghana again to start mining without a permit, might spend 24 months in prison if proven guilty of violating Ghana Immigration Service rules.

Huang is on the lips of every Ghanaian and the mention of her name surely gets people talking. She got the country’s attention shifted from the economic challenges to galamsey.

Ms Huang is said to be slippery with the law and has defied all odds to get in and out of the country at will but her activities are constantly felt at Gyaman Bepotenteng in the Amansie Central District and parts of Amansie West.

But she is now standing trial for undertaking a mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, and the illegal employment of foreigners and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry.

She reportedly entered Ghana with a different name, Ruxia Huang and a new passport with different date of birth.

Aisha Huang, alongside Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun, is facing initial charges of mining without a valid licence and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a permit.

The Chinese prior to 2017 had been arrested for illegal mining activities but she was not charged.

She was however, first charged in May 2017 for offences relating to illegal mining.

During trial, the Attorney-General filed a nolle prosequi and she was subsequently deported to China without facing full prosecution. It was then announced that she was deported.

But following the current developments, the government has clarified that she was repatriated and not deported.

Enters Senior Minister

The Senior Minister then, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, in 2018, explained to Ghanaians why Ms Huang was not jailed.

He said Ms Huang was not jailed because her home country China had been giving Ghana economic assistance.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on September 20, 2019 described Aisha Huang’s deportation as a mistake. This made most people tag her with the name “the untouchable woman”.

The matter turned murkier when in September 2022, the President in a radio interview at the start of his Volta regional tour, said he was not sure whether Aisha Huang was deported or she fled Ghana.

Amid the brouhaha, the revocation letter from the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the government agency vested with the power to deport or repatriate foreigners, was made available to the media on Thursday, September 15, 2022.

“You are hereby informed that in accordance with Sections 20(2) (a) of the Immigration Act 2000 Act 573, your permit to remain in Ghana has been revoked”.

It adds that, “You are therefore to leave Ghana immediately on the receipt of this notice. You are directed to stay out of the country until the Comptroller-General approves of your future re-entry into Ghana,” the revocation Notice issued to Ms Huang in 2018 stated.

Then the account of police prosecutors when she was arraigned on September 5, 2022 made the matter worse as the drama unfolded.

The police prosecutors contradicted reports and documents by the GIS suggesting that Aisha Huang was repatriated from the country’s jurisdiction in 2018.

Police prosecutors told the court that she fled the jurisdiction, contrary to claims by the Ghana Immigration Service that she was repatriated.

NIA reacts

Meanwhile, the National Identification Authority (NIA) in a statement to clarify the non-citizen identity card found on Aisha at the time of her arrest, explained that the security agencies were investigating the matter.

The non-citizen identity card (Ghana Card) found on Aisha at the time of the arrest was authentic, the NIA said after it checked the details.

The NIA in a statement said En Huang first applied for the card at the Foreigner Identification Management System (FIMS) registration centre at Nhyiaeso, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region on February 26, 2014.

She, subsequently, did two more renewals on August 31, 2016 and January 8, 2018, using the same details and the Chinese passport number G39575625 with the name En Huang.

On August 25, 2022, she visited an NIA registration centre in Tamale in the Northern Region for a card, but that time around under the name Ruxia Huang.

Who is Ruxia Huang?

According to the NIA, further investigations revealed that based on the biometrics provided, Ruxia Huang had previously registered as En Huang in the FIMS record in the NIA database.

“She opted to renew with the old details and then go through the affidavit and gazette process, after which she would then provide the documents for the update to be done.

“Her renewed non-citizen Ghana Card was then issued to her on August 25, 2022, with the name En Huang,” the statement said.

So far, very little is known of children, spouse and net worth of the Chinese lady, born on July 7, 1986, but Anthony Faiben, a Ghanaian, is said to be her husband.

Checks show that a memo authored by an Assistant Commissioner (Regional Commander) of the GIS, Ashanti Region, which was addressed to the Deputy Comptroller-General of the GIS on September 2, 2016, suggests that Ms Huang was granted an indefinite residence permit on March 28, 2015, which enabled her or entitled her to stay or remain indefinitely in the country.

The memo under reference indicated that En Huang, aka Aisha Huang, first entered Ghana through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on May 28, 2006.

“…Since then the subject has been frequenting the country. She was previously on a dependant permit since December 5, 2013.

Currently, she is on an indefinite residence permit issued on 29th March 2015,” Mr Isaac Luortey said.

Luortey’s memo

Apparently, Mr Luortey’s memo was triggered by media reports dated August 24, 2016 to the effect that Aisha Huang was engaged in illegal mining activities leading to the destruction of cocoa farms and pollution of water bodies; encroachment on other people’s concessions and that residents and chiefs of the affected communities were planning to protest against her illegal mining activities.

“As a result of that, the woman in question, En Huang, was served with an invitation letter to enable the Command ascertain the situation on the ground. She reported herself on Tuesday, 30th August, 2016 where her statement was taken,” Mr Luortey noted.

She also disclosed that her husband had registered two companies in the country.

The nature of business of the second company (Golden Asia Limited .) was General Merchant Import and Export of Goods and mining. She was the second Director of the company.

Interestingly, Ms Huang “disclosed in her written statement that her four excavators seized by the National Security on the said site were released to her when the Ashanti Regional Minister indicated that the operation was conducted without his consent”, Mr Luortey noted.

By: graphiconline.com