Former president John Dramani Mahama has said Ghanaians felt cheated over the supposed deportation of Aisha Huang without suffering any punishment for her illegality.
According to Mr. Mahama, Ghanaians who engaged in illegal mining have been sentenced and jailed and same should have been done to the Chinese galamsey queen.
He says the comments from then Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, concerning the sustenance of ties between China and Ghana was a nonstarter since he deported almost 5,000 Chinese who were involved in illegal mining without disrupting the relationship between the two countries during his tenure.
Speaking with Alfred Ocansey on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Monday, September 12, 2022, Mr. Mahama said Ghanaians who go to China to engage in illegality are not allowed to go unpunished because of relations but are made to face the full rigours of the law.
“I don’t think that anybody who is engaged in illegality mustn’t be sanctioned. Ghanaians who are engaged in illegal mining are languishing in prison. They’ve been sentenced and jailed and so Ghanaians felt cheated when she was accused of illegal mining and instead of prosecuting her she was made to go scot-free.
“Remember what happened with Osafo Maafo’s statement that they did not want to risk the relationship between Ghana and China and that’s why they let her go. When I was president we value the relation with China but if you’re a Ghanaian and you go to China and engage in illegality they don’t say because of the good relationship with Ghana you’re going to go scot-free. You face the full rigors of the law in China.
“When I became president was faced with this same illegal mining. I deported almost 5,000 illegal Chinese miners I didn’t say because of the good relations we have with China we should allow them to continue to engage in this illicit activity,” he indicated.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
