By Joyce Danso
Accra, Oct. 12, GNA- An Accra Circuit Court has ordered prosecution to expediate action in filing their disclosures to kick start the trial of En Huang aka Aisha Huang, the alleged galamsey kingpin and three others.
The Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah made the order after he turned down bail application made by lawyers of Aisha and her accomplices.
According to the Court, it has not rescinded its decision to refuse the accused persons bail.
At the last sitting, the Court declined bail on the grounds that accused persons were flight risk as it was unclear on how Aisha entered Ghana, among others.
It therefore adjourned the matter to October 27.
Aisha Huang aka Ruixia Huang and three others: John Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun are being held for engaging in sale and purchase of minerals without valid license.
Aisha aged 47, is facing additional charge of engaging in mining without license.
They have denied the charges and have been remanded into lawful custody at the National Intelligence Bureau.
Meanwhile, lawyers of the four accused persons took turns to repeat their applications for bail on the grounds that their clients had been in custody for more than two months.
Prosecution led by Inspector Isaac Babayi informed the Court that they have made a headway, adding that the Attorney General has been consulted for his intervention.
According to Inspector Babayi, a committee of experts has also been constituted.
He said prosecution had demonstrated to the Court that accused persons were not only going to interfere in investigations, but they were also flight risk.
Inspector Babayi said accused persons had multiple passports with different names and when granted bail, they would not appear to stand trial.
“In the interest of Justice, I pray that you decline accused persons bail,” the prosecutor added.
Mr Franklin Kumatoh, who represented Jei, indicated to the Court that his client was not medically fit hence she should be admitted to bail.
Mr Kumakoh said Jei only visited a male friend on Aisha Huang’s premises and she was nabbed.
He debunked prosecution’s assertion that his client had multiple passports.
Defence counsel said his client came to Ghana to work for a company.
Counsel who held brief of Captain Retired Nkrabeah Effah Dartey (Aisha’s lawyer), said prosecution had not been able to convince the Court that the accused persons when granted bail could interfere with Police investigations.
The prosecution’s case is that during the year 2017, Aisha was arrested for similar offences but managed to sneak out of the country in 2018, averting prosecution.
It said during the early part of the year 2022, Aisha sneaked back into the country after having changed her details on her Chinese Passport.
Prosecution said Aisha again assumed the small-scale mining activities without license and together with the rest of the accused persons engaged in the sale and purchase of Minerals in Accra without valid authority granted as required by the Minerals Act.
It said Hua, Jei and Hun were also into the sale equipment used in illegal mining activities.
According to prosecution accused persons were picked up based on intelligence.
GNA