Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has revealed that he expects galamsey queen, Aisha Huang, to be found guilty, convicted and sentenced and thrown into a Ghanaian jail.

According to him, he is convinced Aisha Huang is guilty of the charges proffered against her.

“Aisha Huang has been arrested… She is being prosecuted and she will be prosecuted under Ghanaian law in a Ghanaian court. If she is found guilty, which I believe she should be found and I think I am not making prejudicial comments but I am saying that given the facts that I have. I am expecting that Aisha Huang will be found guilty, convicted and sentenced and thrown into a Ghanaian jail.”
Samuel Abu Jinapor

Mr Jinapor indicated that prosecution will not just be related to Aisha Huang but generally deal with foreigners. He noted that other 154 persons arrested some days ago and were involved in illegal small-scale mining will be prosecuted.

“Aisha Huang’s case should not be looked at in isolation, it should be looked at in the context of foreigners being involved in Ghanaian criminality and how we deal with it.”
Samuel Abu Jinapor

Commenting on the Land Minister’s assurance to prosecute Aisha Huang, Executive Director for the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Ken Ashigbey, revealed that the government must demonstrate its will by seeing through the prosecution of persons, especially, foreign nationals who are found culpable.

He stated that government must translate the rhetoric into action.

“There is no better story to be told than that…We have heard the President speak and now we’re hearing the sector Minister speak. We’re not going to take their word for it.”
Ken Ashigbey

The Chinese national who is set to reappear in court on September 27 was accused of engaging in mining without a license after she was re-arrested in Ghana some weeks ago.

Government officials involved in galamsey

Meanwhile, Mr Jinapor has urged persons with evidence on any government officials engaging in ‘galamsey’ to come forward with such evidence. He explained that it is essential for persons with information about government officials engaged in illegal mining to bring it to light as such complicity in illegal mining cannot be condoned.

Mr Jinapor contended that if indeed such evidence exists, the suspects must not be favoured by virtue of being government officials but rather be convicted.

“You have to bring them out… When these things come out, you have to expose them. We cannot continue to be in the realm of gossips especially when we are trying to have serious government architecture. If a Chinese lady claims she has a sex tape of Ministers or Deputy Ministers, the minute after that allegation is made those tapes should be out there. People like you should go and dig them out.”
Samuel Abu Jinapor

Mr Jinapor emphasized that if there is any Minister in President Akufo-Addo’s government or ex-President John Mahama’s government who has “gone to trade sex with galamsey”, that person should not be sitting “under air-condition, that person should be in Nsawam”.