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A Chinese mine manager convicted last week in a shooting case in Papua New Guinea (PNG) moved to the Pacific country shortly after serving a prison sentence in China for a series of violent crimes in Ghana, according to legal records.
Li Dezhang, 56, was found guilty by a court in the PNG city of Lae on May 1 of unlicensed possession of a firearm, unlawful discharge, and assault. The conviction stemmed from a mid-April incident in which he fired a Chinese-made pistol at another Chinese citizen who had confronted him over unpaid bills.
Chinese court records posted online show that Li served time in his home country for offences he had committed in the West African country of Ghana.
He was arrested in Ghana and repatriated to China in early 2020 after using violent threats to extort a casino investor out of about $7,400. He also kidnapped and assaulted another man who owed him a debt, according to announcements from a court in Li’s home province of Guangxi.
Li served just over three years in prison, and was released in early 2023, the records show. In a separate civil case, Li was successfully sued for fraud in China after failing to deliver paid-for mining equipment to clients in Ghana.
Li’s lawyer in PNG, Philemon Yama, had told the Lae court that Li had no criminal record.
“I have no idea of Li’s criminal record from other countries,” Yama told OCCRP.
Li has been working in PNG as a manager of Guangcai Mining Ltd. The company operates three unlicensed gold mines in Morobe Province, which have faced complaints from local communities over environmental destruction.
Immigration authorities and police last week detained 19 workers at one of the company’s mines. Most were deported after authorities determined they lacked proper work permits, Lae’s police commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Kunyanbun, told OCCRP and Inside PNG.
Guangcai Mining did not respond to requests for comment.
Environmental destruction from mining has long been a public concern in resource-rich PNG. The country has also struggled with an influx of illegal workers on some projects, a problem often linked to corruption in enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies.
PNG Immigration Minister John Rosso said last week’s raid on Gunagcai's mine was carried out by a team “handpicked” for trustworthiness, out of concern that other officials may have been paid off.
“We cannot practice double standards,” Rosso told OCCRP and Inside PNG. “Once they are processed anyone breaching immigration laws will be deported immediately.”
Li is due for sentencing in the firearms case on May 14.
