Aisha Huang, famously known as the Galamsey Queen, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for engaging in illegal mining activities without a license.
In addition to her jail time, she has been fined GH¢48,000 by the court.
After carefully reviewing the arguments presented by both the prosecution and defense, the Judge reached the verdict of guilty.
It is worth noting that the accused had previously been released on similar charges, making this conviction all the more significant.
However, due to the limitations of the old legal regime under which she was prosecuted, the Judge could only impose a maximum sentence of four years. It is important to acknowledge that the severity of the crime warranted a more stringent punishment, but the constraints of the law prevented a longer sentence from being imposed.
Background
Aisha Huang was accused of being in the thick of affairs of galamsey, especially in the Ashanti Region. She was initially arrested and deported from the country in 2018, after the A-G decided to discontinue her trial in which she was accused of engaging in small-scale mining without licence.
However, she reportedly sneaked into the country to allegedly engage in the same activities for which she was deported.
In October 2022, the A-G then decided to prosecute her for the alleged crimes before her deportation and new ones committed since her entry back into the country.
It is the case of the prosecution that Aisha had an illegal mining concession at Bepotenten in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region and also operated a mining support services company.
She had pleaded not guilty to undertaking a mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, the illegal employment of foreigners, and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry.
But on May 3, this year, Aisha pleaded guilty to entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry contrary to section 20(4) of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573.
That was after she had entered into a Plea Bargaining agreement with the State (office of the Attorney General).
