The Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has fixed June 6, 2023, to commence the trial in which three persons said to be accomplices of Aisha Huang have been arraigned for allegedly engaging in illegal activities in the country.

The Court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo fixed the date after the prosecution filed all the necessary documents and pre-trial processes completed by the parties.

The accused persons are: Li We Guo, Shi Mei Zhi both Chinese and Nana Kwame Opoku, alias Obolo, a Ghanaian have been charged together for conspiracy to undertake mining without a license.

Whilst Li Wei Guo (1st Accused) and Shi Mei Zhi, (2nd Accused) who are partners, are facing a charge of undertaking a mining operation without a license and false representation in obtaining a resident permit.

Li Wei Guo, the 1st Accused is also facing the charge of false representation in obtaining a work permit.

Nana Kwame Opoku alias Obolo is separately charged for facilitating the participation of non-Ghanaians in an illegal mining operation.

The two Chinese nationals and the Ghanaian have all three pleaded not guilty.

According to EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, the two Chinese are on remand at the Nsawam Prison whilst the 3rd Accused, a Ghanaian, is on bail in the sum of GHc500k with two sureties.

Following a request from Defence lawyer Lucy Ekeleba Blay, holding brief for Freddie Blay, the Court has ordered the authorities at Nsawam Prison to furnish them with the medical records of the 2nd Accused person.

Brief facts

The brief facts of the case as narrated to the court by Mercy Arthur, a Principal State Attorney, were that on September 14, 2022, as part of investigations into the case of En Huang @ Aisha, personnel of the Ministry of National Security, Kumasi, received information that the 1st and 2nd accused persons were engaged in illegal mining activities.

The National Security, she said, commenced investigations and as a result, these Officers arrested the 1st and 2nd accused persons together with another Chinese national and a Vietnamese national, from their residence at Paraku Estates near Daaban, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region and commenced investigations.