President Akufo-Addo has asserted the re-emergence of Chinese galamsey queen, Aisha Huang, has come as a surprise to him.
The President says there is an uncertainty surrounding Aisha Huang’s deportation which makes him unsure whether she was indeed deported.
During his tour to the Volta Region Monday, September 12, 2022, he said “I’m not still sure whether she was in fact deported. Or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it.
“But whichever way it is, she’s become the sort of nickname for all that galamsey represents,”
Speaking on a Ho-based radio station during his visit to the region, the president denied knowledge of the illegal activities being undertaken by Aisha Huang and emphasised his readiness to support her prosecution.
“We have concerted to work at it. We need to have the corporation of the courts. Until recently when I came, the punishment for people caught was relatively light. [But] we’ve changed the law to stiffen the punishment for people caught,” he noted.
President Akufo-Addo, however, lauded his government for the efforts they have put in place to fight the galamsey menace.
“The efforts have brought a lot of fruits first of all. Galamsey is now a subject of national discussion. Everywhere you go, there’s this matter of galamsey. We’ve at least achieved this purpose of heightening consciousness about it as an evil.
“When I came, nobody was talking about galamsey. Since we came and focused on it, it is now the subject of discussions in homes, in offices, in meetings and all across Ghana. So that’s one positive development,” he stressed.
The Attorney General has, meanwhile, expressed his readiness to deal swiftly with Aisha Huang for both her past and recent crimes.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
