Asia Huang, four other Chinese nationals granted bail
An Accra High Court has admitted to bail, Asia Huang and four other Chinese, who have been accused of engaging in illegal mining in the Ashanti Region.
Ms Huang was granted bail in the sum of GHȼ500,000.00 with two sureties each to be justified.
The four others: Gao Jin Cheng, 45; Lu Qi Jun 39; Habin Gao, 26; and Zhang Pen, 23; were also admitted to bail in the sum of GHȼ500,000.00 with one surety each. Each surety is to be justified.
Asia, aka Aisha, or Yaa Asantewaa, has additionally been accused of providing Mine Support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission.
“The Sureties of the accused persons should be Ghanaians by birth and nationality,” the Court added.
They have been accused of undertaking their activities at Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.
Meanwhile, the Court has given the State seven days to put their house in order for the trial to commence as the pleas of the accused persons would be taken on the same day.
The Court cautioned that it would not tolerate any adjournment on the part of Prosecution and Defence as the trial commenced on June 16.
The Court, presided over by Mr Justice Edward Charles Ekow Baiden, ordered that the residences of the accused persons and their sureties be verified.
The accused persons are to report twice a week to the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
According to the Court, the accused persons should deposit their travelling documents and passports at the Court’s Registry, while receipts of the documents should be placed in the case docket.
It also entreated the Registrar of the Court to serve the Court’s ruling on the Inspector General of Police or the Director of GIS or their representatives.
Reading out its ruling on the application for bail pending trial, the Court stated that the assertion of the State that it was investigating the matter was: “too broad and vague as well as unconvincing.”
”Respondent has not told the Court how the accused persons whether in the past or future interfered with investigations.”
According to the Court, the respondent (the State) also failed to give a time line to wrap up their investigations.
It entreated the respondent not to be speculative on issues concerning human rights since they had not been able to demonstrate to the Court how the accused would interfere with the investigations or how they were flight risks.
It pointed out that the respondent had admitted that Asia was invited by officers of the GIS in the Ashanti Region and she was asked to produce documents on the other four accused persons.
The Court noted that Aisha had not denied her involvement in mining and her counsel had explained that the rest of the accused persons were employed by Asia to repair excavators stationed at some sites following the ban on small scale mining.
The Court, hovever, rejected Asia’s application on the grounds that she had undergone surgery in a medical facility in China, hence she ought to be admitted to bail.
According to the Court, the supposed surgery was conducted as far back as January 2016; and what she needed now was to go for medical review.
The Lead Counsel, Mr Ellis Owusu-Fordjour, expressed optimism that the security service would comply with the court’s order as his clients availed themselves for further investigations.
The ruling of the Court sent smiles to the face of Asia, who gave thumbs up to one of the lawyers in the court. She was communicating with the rest of the accused persons.
On May 23, Ms Mercy Arthur, a Senior State Attorney, replaced the charges before the Court and prayed it to remand the accused persons into custody pending further investigations.
However, there were no brief facts attached to the new charge sheet.
A member of the Defence team, Mr Jerry Akuetteh, said he disagreed with the Prosecution’s assertions, explaining that the charges must go with facts and the facts must support the charge sheet.
Mr Akuetteh held that they were in Court to seek bail pending trial mainly on health grounds since Asia had some medical ailment, which required urgent medical attention.
He said Asia went voluntarily to the Police and it could not be said that she was one who would abscond from justice.
On May 18, the Defence Counsel appeared before the Court with a bail application, pending trial. According to counsel, he had filed the bail application on May 15.
Asia is also accused of providing excavators to small scale mining companies around February 2015 to May 2017 without a valid license from the Minerals Commission; and also providing illegal employment to foreign nationals.
The accused persons were rounded up by the GIS in the Ashanti Region and they were, consequently, transferred to Accra by the GIS for further investigations.
On May 9, this year, Asia and her supposed accomplices were put before the High Court and they were remanded into custody pending investigation.
On May 23, this year, the accused persons made their second appearance but they were remanded pending the ruling on their bail application.
Source: GNA