A High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo has threatened to release the four persons said to be accomplices of Aisha Huang who are facing charges concerning illegal mining due to challenges in securing interpreters.
While adjourning “this case for the last time,” Justice Marfo said, the court will release the accused persons ”either conditionally or unconditionally” should there be no interpreter capable of speaking Chinese and Vietnamese language.
Three Chinese nationals – Shi Yang alias Philip, Li Wei Guo and Shi Mei Zhi were charged for engaging in small scale-mining without a licence, contrary to section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Act 995 of 2019.
They all pleaded not guilty on their second appearance on October 24.
But, due to a lack of an interpreter, the plea of Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, said to be Vietnamese and charged for remaining in Ghana after the expiration of a permit contrary to sections 20(1) and 52(1)(d) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573) is yet to be taken since September 16.
In court on Tuesday, November 1, when the case was called for her plea to be taken, an arrangement made for a Vietnamese interpreter to appear failed.
The court had on October 24, directed the Registrar of the Court to ensure there was an interpreter in court at all times that the matter comes up until the final determination of the case.
However, the directive failed to materialize and the Registrar of the Court provided an explanation to the court.
