An Accra Criminal High court has granted Aisha Huang, the Chinese woman arrested for ilegal mining in Ghana after two failed earlier attempts.
She and four other Chinese nationals were granted bail with the sum of GH 500,000 each and 2 surities both to be justified.
Kasapa FM’s Court correspondent Daakyehene Ofosu Agyeman reported that the presiding Judge, Justice Edward Charles Ekow Baiden giving his ruling on the application for bail pending trial said the state and prosecution could not prove with facts why the accused persons should not be granted bail.
Justice Baiden also added that the counsel of the state have not given the court the time it will need to finish their investigations.
According to the facts before the court “respondents have not demonstrated why the accused persons may interfere with investigation if granted bail and must have provided further facts and evidence” the Judge added.
The Judge finally quoted Art 14:1 in relation to ruling of the Supreme court in favor of Martin Kpebu on using discretion to grant bail and said Supreme court stated that regardless of the offence if facts does not support the charge the person arrested or detained must be granted bail.
‘I shall exercise my discretion and admit accused persons to bail in the sum of GH 500,000 with 2 sureties both to be justified by Ghanaians’.
He also ordered that the accused persons must report themselves twice in a week to the police and the Immigration services and also must hand over their passports and travelling documents to the Registrar of the High court.
The court adjourned the case to 16 June, 2017 for plea of the accused to be taken.
Justice Edward Charles Ekow Baiden told the prosecution to put their house in order in 7 days because he will not tolerate any unnecessary adjournments.
Previous Arrest
Some national security operatives, on July 30, 2016, raided various gold mining sites to impound excavators and a pickup vehicle belonging to the Chinese woman that were being used for the illegal mining operation.
She and her assigns had degraded lands, destroyed cocoa farms and polluted water bodies in several communities in the Amansie area, and the national security, in an attempt to clamp down on her activities, raided the sites.
At Gyaaman village, the activities of the Chinese galamsey operator allegedly left six children dead after the victims drowned in open pits.
However, the Ashanti Regional Security Council, then headed by John Alexander Ackon found it expedient to release the four excavators and the Toyota pickup to the galamsey miner to the chagrin of the local residents and owners of the mining concessions, Volta Resources Limited.
The former Minister explained that the Operation was not sanctioned and hence the need for the equipment to be returned to their owners.
