By Joyce Danso
Accra, Oct. 24, GNA – An Accra High Court has ordered the Attorney General to file disclosures and other documents in relation to the trial of En Huang, aka Aisha Huang, alleged to be involved in illegal mining.
This will enable the court to commence with the Case Management Conference and pre-trial at the next sitting.
Meanwhile, the court presided over by Mrs Justice Lydia Osei-Marfo, has indicated that the official Chinese Interpreter in the case had travelled outside the country.
The trial Judge said the court was making arrangement for a new interpreter.
Captain Nkrabeah Effah Darteh, lead Counsel for Aisha, said if the prosecution was not ready to go ahead with the trial, he would repeat his application for bail for Aisha.
The Defence Counsel said he was optimistic that the trial judge would change her mind in respect of the bail application.
But the trial judge in response, said she was not going to change her mind.
Aisha is being held on the charges of undertaking a mining operation without license, facilitating participation of persons engaged in mining.
She is additionally being held over illegal employment of foreign nationals and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry.
The case of the State is that the complainants are security and intelligence officers.
The prosecution said Aisha had gained “notoriety” for engaging in series of small- scale mining activities known as ‘galamsey’ across the country.
It said in 2017, Aisha was arrested for a similar offence, but she managed to sneak out of the country, averting prosecution and had allegedly commenced small scale mining activities without license.
GNA