Aisha Huang: Akufo-Addo Admits He Is Not Sure Chinese Illegal Gold Miner Was Deported From Ghana

• President Akufo-Addo has confessed that it remains unclear to him if Aisha Huang was deported in 2018
• His confession follows speculations by a section of the public that the notorious illegal miner was not expelled from Ghana as authorities had announced
• In the president's first term, he promised to root out galamsey from Ghana even if it meant losing a second term, but many say he has not done enough fight the menace

President Nana Akufo-Addo has admitted that he is unsure if the infamous illegal gold mining Chinese woman, Aisha Huang, was deported from Ghana in 2018.

The president told a Ho-based radio station on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, as part of his tour of the Volta Region, that he was against the illegal and disastrous mining activities (aka galamsey) by Aisha Huang and said he was in support of her prosecution.

Read also

Galamsey: Akufo-Addo can't fight menace because his people are involved; he should resign – Mahama

“I’m not still sure whether she was in fact deported. Or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it. But whichever way it is, she’s become the sort of nickname for all that galamsey represents,” he admitted.

He assured that his administration remains committed to fighting the menace of galamsey.

“Until recently when I came, the punishment for people caught was relatively light. [But] we’ve changed the law to stiffen the punishment for people caught,” he said.

Akufo-Addo's promises to fight illegal mining came to the fore when Aisha Huang's blatant abuse of the law came to light. She is reported to be the mastermind of a ruthless illegal mining cartel in the Ashanti Region.

When she was caught, Senior Minster, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, appealed for her to be let off the hook and deported to China.

Read also

Illegal Mining: Aisha Huang will face the full rigours of the law; the Attorney General has my full support to prosecute her – Akufo-Addo

He cited an anticipated Chinese loan agreement as an excuse, fearing that the deal could be affected if a Chinese national was convicted by Ghana.

Illegal mining activities have destroyed fresh water bodies and vegetation in gold-rich communities in the Ashanti and Western regions.

Aisha Huang: How Chinese Illegal Miner Re-Entered Ghana And Secured Ghana Card

YEN.com.gh reported in a previous story that the Chinese illegal miner Aisha Huang made the news on Monday, September 5, 2022, after it emerged that she was in court for sneaking back into Ghana.

Aisha Huang was arrested and deported from Ghana in 2018 when security forces uncovered her destructive illegal mining activities, popularly called galamsey.

But she is reported to have returned to Ghana through Togo, strategically shuttling between the two countries.

According to a Citi News report, the notorious businesswoman would surreptitiously leave Ghana for Togo anytime she picked up intelligence that security forces were gaining in on her.

Read also

The public purse Akufo-Addo promised to protect has gone missing- Mahama

In the Ashanti Region, Aisha made Kumasi her favourite spot in Ghana, where she sold mining equipment and materials to illegal miners.

However, luck ran out for her when she was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.

Source: YEN.com.gh