By Joyce Danso
Accra, March 7, GNA – The trial of En Huang aka Aisha Huang, an alleged Chinese galamsey kingpin resumed at the High Court with the prosecution calling its sixth witness in the case.
The case of Aisha began again after the trial judge, Justice Mrs Lydia Osei Marfo, returned from her annual leave.
Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) led Peter Amenya, the sixth witness and a farmer to give his evidence in chief.
Mr Amenya told the court that he knew En Huang while residing at “School Mu,” near Bopotenten in the Ashanti Region where he engaged in farming.
According to the farmer, he met Aisha sometime in 2017 through one James Ogbey, one of Aisha’s employees.
“The said James Ogbey contacted me and my brother -in- law called Timothy Teye Ali and informed us that the accused person was interested in purchasing our farmland for her mining business.
The sixth witness said Aisha then sent a surveyor whose name he did not know, accompanied by James Ogbey to his farm to take measurement of the land.
“The Surveyor and James Ogbey took measurement of the farm land of Timothy Teye Ali as well.
“After negotiating the price, James Ogbey called Aisha and told her about the size of the land and the price we had agreed on being GHC8,000 per acre. She asked Ogbey to bring us to her mining site which was nearby,” Amenya told the court
Amenya said in total, he was to be paid GHC22,000 for his two and half acres of farmland.
According to Amenya, he, together with Timothy Teye Ali, one Moses Teye Ali and one Boyoo aka Kojo Tia went with James Ogbey to meet Aisha at her mining site.
“She gave each of us an amount of GHC1,000 as part payment to show her commitment to the purchase of our farm land. She made the payment through Ogbey.”
Amenya said two weeks later, Ogbey called him and paid an additional GHC5,000 on behalf of Aisha and promised that the outstanding balance would be paid soon.
He told the court that Aisha cleared “everything” on his farmland.
Amenya said he later heard that Aisha had been arrested for illegal mining and had been deported to China.
He said since the arrest of Aisha nobody had come forward to pay the outstanding amount owed to them.
Amenya said Timothy Teye Ali later reported Ogbey to the Police and the matter was sent to court.
During cross-examination by Mr Miracle Atatsi, Amenya said he could not tell when he gave his witness statement to the court.
He admitted that the Police invited him in respect of the case and gave his statement to them.
Amenya maintained that he continued with his land sale negotiation with James Ogbey, Aisha’s employee.
The matter has been adjourned to March 8, for the prosecution to call its seventh witness.
Aisha is on trial for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities at Bepotenten in the Ashanti Region in the year 2017.
She is facing charges of undertaking mining operations without license and facilitating the participation of persons engaged in mining.
Aisha, a businessperson, is additionally being held for illegal employment of foreign nationals and re-entering Ghana after she was deported.
She has denied all the charges and the court has remanded her into lawful custody.
GNA