An Accra High Court on Friday ordered the re-arrest of two Chinese illegal miners granted bail alongside Aisha Huang – the Chinese woman believed to be involved in illegal mining.
Gao Jin Cheng and Lu Qi Ju, failed to meet aspects of the bail condition requiring them to deposit their passport before their release hence the court order for their re-arrest.
The two were part of five Chinese nationals arrested by the Ghana Immigration Service and arraigned over their alleged involvement in illegal mining in an area belonging to the Volta Resources Company Limited.
An Accra High Court presided by Justice Charles Ekow Baiden, on June 2, granted them bail with two sureties, who must be Ghanaians residing in Ghana and an amount of GHC500,000. They were to handover their passports and report to the Inspector General of Police and the director of the Ghana Immigration Service every week.
The five were initially charged with immigration offences, but fresh charges were levelled against them after complaints from civil society.
The charges include undertaking small scale mining operation contrary to section 99 (1) of the Minerals Commission act 2006, providing mining support without valid registration from the minerals commission, illegal employment of foreign nationals contrary to section 24 of the immigration act, and disobedience of directives under the immigration act 2000 (Act 573).