The National Identification Authority (NIA) has stated that it does not have any foreign national who possesses a non-citizen Ghana Card with the name ‘Aisha Huang’ in its database but confirms it has issued one to a Chinese woman called Huang En.
The comment by NIA comes on the back of widespread reports that Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, obtained a Ghana Card but with the name Huang En.
In a statement signed by its Acting Head of Corporate Affairs, Dr. Abudu-Abdul Ganiyu, NIA explained that it registered Huang En as a first-time applicant in February 2014 at Nhyieso, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region with the same biometric and registration details.
She further did a renewal of the card in 2016 and 2018 with the same details owing to the fact that the card issued to foreigners is valid for a year and renewable every year at a fee of USD60.00.
“The National Identity Register (NIR) compiled by NIA does not contain any record of a person named Aisha Huang. Put differently, the name Aisha Huang does not exist in the National Identification System (NIS) database.
“On 26th February 2014, a Chinese woman named Huang En registered as a first-time applicant for a foreigner identity card at the Foreigner Identity Management System (FIMS) registration centre at Nhyieso, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region. Her biometrics were captured and she was issued with a Non-citizen Ghana Card. She subsequently did two more renewals on 31st August 2016 and 8th January, 2018, using same details and Chinese passport number G39575625. Through all these registrations her details remained unchanged as below. Forename: En, Surname: Huang, personal ID number CHN-010039480-J, Passport number: G39575625,” the statement read in part.
It continued that on August 25, 2022, a Chinese national with the name Ruixia Huano visited the Tamale Ghana Card registration centre for foreigners to begin the process of acquiring the card as the first timer.
NIA said the registration process for the Chinese national went into a state called ‘RejectedDueAFIS’ which meant that the biometric details provided were already captured in their database – specifically matching those of Huang En upon investigations.
According to NIA, when Ruixia Huano was confronted with the discovery, she explained that she had changed her name.
“On 25th August, 2022 at 10:05 am, an incident occurred at the FIMS registration centre in Tamale, Northern Region involving a Chinese national who visited the centre as a first-time applicant with the following details. Forename: Ruixia, Surname: Huano, Date of Birth: 07-Nov-75, Passport Number EJ5891162.
“The registration, however, went into a technical state known as ‘RejectedDueAFIS’ which meant that the biometrics of Ruixia Huang possibly matched that of an already existing person in the NIS database. The registration officer, therefore, sent a request to the technical support team for further investigations. This revealed that, based on the biometrics provided ‘Ruixia Huang’ had previously registered as En Huang in the FIMS record under the NIS database. When confronted by the registration officer with this information, she claimed to have changed her name,” the statement added.
NIA said Ruixia Huang was consequently asked to produce an affidavit in support of her claim. She was also given the option to renew her non-citizen Ghana Card with her old details pending processes to acquire the affidavit to update her records.
Ruixia Huang, whose biometric details matched Huang En, was issued a renewed non-citizen Ghana Card with her old details.
“As part of NIA’s normal registration process, En Huang was asked to provide official certified affidavit and a gazette as required by law to support the change of name if the details in the passport number EJ5891162 were to be used to update her old records.
“En Huang was then given the option of waiting to bring in the required documents before her details could be updated or renewing her old registration with her personal ID number CHN-010039480-J, without any change in details. She opted to renew with her old details and then go through the affidavit and gazette process after which she would then provide the documents for the update to be done. Her renewed Non-Citizen Ghana Card was then issued to her on 25th August 2022 bearing the details below. Forename: En, Surname: Huang, Date of Birth: 07-Jul-86, personal ID number CHN-010039480-J,” the statement emphasized.
Chinese national and galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang evaded immigration authorities and re-entered Ghana to conduct illegal business despite her controversial deportation in 2018.
Reports by Accra-based Citi News revealed that Huang despite last leaving by air, returned to Ghana via the eastern land border i.e. Togo.
Whilst the report is silent on when she first reentered and how many times she has been in and out of the jurisdiction, it turned out that she also used a different name on her return.
This was established with evidence that upon her return, Huang applied for and obtained the Ghana Card in February 2022 using the name "Huang En."
The year of issuance has however been dismissed by NIA.
The Citi News report added that she always sneaked out of Ghana when she got intelligence about the possibility of an arrest.
Despite coming in through Aflao, Aisha made the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi her base from where she engaged in the business of selling mining materials. She was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
See below NIA's full statement
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Purported Ghana Card of Aisha Huang