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Social and political non-partisan pressure group, OccupyGhana® has described as “very litte and very late”, government’s admission of error in the decision to deport Chinese national, Aisha Huang - who was facing three counts of undertaking small-scale operations - without first completing the trial of her mining-related offences.

According to the group, eventhough the “president’s candour in admitting this mistake” is appreciated, OccupyGhana® expressed concern that “it had to take hindsight, an understating of the situation only after it had happened and almost two years after the fact, for the Government to realise how bad a mistake that was. Ghanaians knew right from the start that it was a mistake and said so to the Government, which ignored us, making this regret very little and very late.” 

Over the weekend, President Akufo-Addo, responding to a question from a Ghanaian resident in the US state of Colorado, on reports of government appointees being involved in illegal mining, during a townhall meeting at the Princeton University, conceded that the deportation of the Chinese illegal mining ‘queen’ “was a mistake.”

According to him, the cumbersome processes and the “problems involved in prosecuting” informed the decision to let Huang off the hook and “send her home in December 2018,“…but I think the decision to deport Aisha Huang in hindsight was a mistake and that is why that process and procedure is being stopped.” 

Aisha Huang was believed to be untouchable since she had built a network of influence in high places in Ghana.  

Aside having links to the top, Ms Huang was reportedly blackmailing top politicians and security officers with sex tapes and videos, thereby incapacitating them from taking any serious actions against her alleged wrongdoings. 

Her deportation without trial sought to lend credence to the rumors. 

Alluding to recent remarks by Presidential Staffer and the then secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Mr. Charles Bissue, that "deporting Aisha Huang was to prevent tax payer monies from being spent on her trial and possible imprisonment"; and Senior Minister Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo who justified the "lack of prosecution of Aisha Huang on the basis of Ghana’s relationship with China and the prospect of receiving $2bn under the Sinohydro bauxite project", OccupyGhana® said the comments suggests that there is a price tag for the exoneration of foreigners implicating in the appalling desecration of Ghana’s environment, rivers and laws.

The group was also unforgiving of the two government appointee’s lack of tact in rendering an apology.  

“What Mr. Bissue was unable to tell us was what that cost of prosecution and imprisonment would have been, compared to the damage that Aisha Huang’s alleged activities had caused, and as compared with the Ghanaians and others who had been tried for, convicted of and punished for the same offence….

…Then, as recently as April 2019, the Senior Minister Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo compounded the situation, justifying the lack of prosecution of Aisha Huang on the basis of Ghana’s relationship with China and the prospect of receiving $2bn under the Sinohydro bauxite project. 

“Neither Mr. Bissue nor Mr. Osafo-Maafo has withdrawn and apologised for these offensive and insulting statements. That is why we think that the Government’s alleged volte-face, captured in the President’s “mistake on hindsight” statement gives no, little or very cold comfort,” portions of the civil society organisation's statement read.