Three individuals connected to the Aisha Huang case are facing charges for engaging in illegal mining activities and immigration-related offenses.
The charges include conspiracy to undertake mining operations without a license, violating Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and Section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995 of 2019.
The First Accused, Li Wei Guo, has been charged with false representation in obtaining a work permit, contrary to Section 52(1)(e) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
Meanwhile, Shi Mei Zhi and Nana Kwame Opoku, the Second and Third Accused, face similar charges for obtaining residence permits through false representation under the same section of the Immigration Act.
Additionally, the Third Accused, Nana Kwame Opoku, has been charged with facilitating the participation of non-Ghanaians in illegal mining activities, contrary to Section 99(5)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
The charges stem from investigations initiated on September 14, 2022, following intelligence from the Ministry of National Security in Kumasi.
Reports indicated that the First and Second Accused were involved in illegal mining activities.
Law enforcement officials apprehended the suspects at their residence in Paraku Estates, near Daaban, in the Ashanti Region. Subsequent investigations uncovered their involvement in activities that breached both mining and immigration laws.
The cross-examination of the Second Accused concluded on November 13, with the Third Accused beginning his defense on November 14.