Ghana: Investigative reporter faces sex mafia
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- Posted on Saturday 14 March 2009 - 09:55
Anas
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Anas Aremeyaw Anas, AfricaNews reporter in Accra, Ghana
Not
even theatre goers could have had a better deal than the drama that
unfolded in an Accra Circuit Court under the gavel of Justice Elizabeth
Ankomah when The New Crusading Guide's Ace Investigative reporter, Anas
Aremeyaw Anas, came face-to-face with the 'dons' of the Chinese sex
mafia in Ghana.
The
court had asked the reporter to come and play the audio and video
evidence he had gathered in his six months investigations into the
operations of the Chinese sex mafia within the West African sub region.
The three dons, James Xu Jin, (first accused) Chou Xiou Ving, (second
accused) and Sam Shan Zifan (third accused) were visibly shocked when
the reporter started playing on a big screen, their activities of
engaging the Chinese girls for exploitation.
They could not dispute the content of the video “that is Sam taking
money from that Whiteman and delivering that Chinese girl to the client
for sexual exploitation. I am the one standing there in white with a
bow- tie disguised as a bar tender and serving the alleged trafficker
with beer in the hotel” Anas explained while playing the evidence to
the court.
Counsel for the accused persons B. O K. Johnson, Police Prosecutor ASP
Mary Agbozo were all present when Anas who was also the complainant in
the case showed the evidence. Earlier Anas had tendered 8 audio clips,
2 videos, 9 transcript of conversations and photographs all marked as
exhibits to the court.
EvidenceIn his evidence- in- chief, Anas narrated how he conducted his
investigations to the court, pointing out that his investigations were
motivated by his interest in saving humanity.
He narrated how he posed as a bar tender in a hotel to obtain evidence
of the girls being sexually exploited. He explained that he befriended
a lady in the residence of the traffickers in order to get information
on their operations at their La residence (Agyeman) a suburb of Accra.
He told the court that, he monitored the girls for over six months
within which he saw them being sent out to casinos, hotels and saw men
also coming out from the residence of the accused persons. He also
added that, one of his sources had also been having conversations with
the victims, in connection with their activities and had on tape all
the conversations.
During the cross examination by the defense counsel, Mr. B. O K.
Johnson, Anas (witness) indicated that his friendship with the house
maid of the accused persons was not amorous, but one of his ways as an
undercover journalist to get information to prove his case.
He denied an allegation that the housemaid of the accused smuggled him
into the house saying “I was smuggled into the room by a source found
condoms in the house, and picked only one which was unused from the
first room”.
Defense counsel also accused the witness of desiring to have sex with
the girl he befriended in the residence of the traffickers but could
not succeed because, James Xu Jin, (first accused) intervened and
truncated the process. He said that witness had some hatred for first
accused for truncating his sexual encounter and thereby decided to go
undercover to do story to humiliate his client.
“I put it to you that you wanted to have sex with the Chinese girls and
when they refused, you developed hatred for them and thereby did this
investigation, your investigation was borne by malice towards my
clients”. The defense counsel told the court. “It is not so my lord”,
Anas answered, the “Chinese girls do not have sex with blacks”.
B. O. K Johnson also told the court that the money that was charged in
the second operation of the witness was $100 not $150 as claimed by the
witness saying “I put it to you that the money which was paid in the
second operation was $100 and not $150”
All seven victims who testified in court were seen trembling anytime
they recounted the harrowing experiences they went through during their
sexual activities. They therefore pleaded to be protected by the court
for fear of being killed by the accused persons, who they regarded as
very powerful.
The girls, (names withheld) gave account of the fact that, Jin brought
them to Ghana and for that matter they owed him and had to work to pay
for their air fares and other traveling documents which Jin secured for
them to facilitate their trip to Ghana.
One of the victims, an 18 year old girl from Shangai in China could not
hold back her tears as she narrated her story in the presence of the
judge, journalists, prosecutors and defense counsel in chambers. The
accused persons who were made to stand close to the door to enable them
hear the proceedings were shocked beyond description. She stated that
she was deceived by the accused persons that she was coming to Ghana to
work in a Chinese restaurant only to end up in prostitution.
According to the teenage girl, Jin and his wife Chow were her
neighbours in china and that her parents allowed her to follow them
because they assured her parents that, they were going to take good
care of her.
She admitted that, her family was poor and that her father owed her
uncle and her auntie some money for a surgery performed on her father’s
leg. She narrated that her father suffered injuries through an accident
on his way to pick her up from school; this also resulted in her
becoming a school dropout.
She disclosed that her passport and other traveling documents were
secured by Jin and after meeting at shanghai she was introduced to two
other girls who came to Ghana with her.
Arrival in GhanaWhen they arrived in Ghana, the accused persons sent them to casinos
but did not tell them exactly what to do. Later she was forced to sleep
with a Lebanese, which was her first encounter in December 2007. She
said she tried to resist the man but James severely beat her and told
her he owned no restaurant. She reiterated that their slave master only
made them have sex with white people and not blacks.
She also said that anytime she refused Jin’s demands, she had to pay a
penalty of $ 50 a day. ‘I had no choice but to do as I was told because
I could not raise that amount’ Her slave master charged $70 per night
or $40 per hour for men to sleep with her but kept all the money to
himself with the justification that he was using the money to settle a
$6, 000 debt accumulated from her visa and air fare.
During cross- examination from counsel of the accused persons, Mr. O K
Johnson, the witness told the court that, she could not tell her parent
she was prostituting because it was an embarrassment.
She said even though she knew the brothel was close to the La police
station, she could not report the incident for fear of her life and
those of her family back in china.
However, the police are still searching for three of the victims, who
were not available on the day of the raid. Hearing continues on
Saturday 15th march, 2009 where our reporter is expected to be further
cross examined.
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- Posted on Saturday 14 March 2009 11:57
paddingtonkenya
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Anas-Bravo.I
have been following your piece and i salute you.The Forth Estate has a
brilliant investigative reporter.The patience and dedication truly
deserves an award.This story is a masterpiece.Hope it wins you an award
for saving humanity.As a writer also working in the social movements in
Kenya-i commend you for your efforts.Keep the fire burning-and the
footprints on the sand for others to follow.
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Ghana: Investigative reporter faces sex mafia
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