By: Beatrice Oppon
The Accra High Court has discharged the Vietnamese national who was charged together with three Chinese nationals alleged to be accomplices of Aisha Huang.
The Vietnamese NguYen Thi Thianh Tuyen was charged with remaining in the country after expiration of her permit while the three Chinese nationals have been charged with engaging in illegal mining.
Director of Public Prosecutions Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa substituted the original charge sheet with a new one which excluded the Vietnamese.
She explained to the Court that the state intends to prosecute the Vietnamese separately on immigration charges.
The three alleged accomplices of Aisha Huang, are currently facing two counts of undertaking mining activities without license and possessing forged documents.
The charges were read to them in Chinese by an interpreter to which they pleaded not guilty.
The Judge Justice Lydia Osei Marfo declined to admit them to bail and remanded them into prison custody.
She ordered the prosecution to file disclosures and serve the defence on or before the next hearing.
The Court has adjourned to December 14 for Case Management Conference. The prosecution said the accused persons were arrested by National Security officials following investigations into the case of Aisha Huang.
Mrs. Atakora Obuobisa said a search conducted at their residence revealed five payment receipts with a total value of GHC285,000 issued by 5th Hour Company Limited for the purchase of mining concessions, farmlands, groundwork and transfer of concessions at Kofi Pare near Suhum in the Eastern Region.
At the last hearing, the Court threatened to discharge the accused persons if the state failed to provide Chinese and Vietnamese interpreters.
