James Xu Jin, the man who is alleged to have trafficked 10 Chinese girls to engage in the sex trade in Ghana, opened his defence at the Accra Fast Track High Court in Accra on Wednesday. James Xu Jin, 41, who is believed to be the ring leader and night club operator, Shan Shan Ying, a housewife and Chou Xiu Ying, a night club operator, are facing charges of conspiracy and human trafficking. They have pleaded not guilty and have been remanded into police custody. Xu Jin’s Counsel, Mr D.O.K. Johnson, told the court that on February 14, 2009, he and the wife were woken up to find a policeman pointing a gun at his head. A lot of other policemen were also in the house. He said the police asked him, his wife, Shan Ying and his brother Chou to sit in the hall while they searched the whole house including the items of seven Chinese girls in the house. He said the police took away GH¢3,500 and GH¢11,000, a small green bag which belong his brother, a mobile phone, laptop computer and camera. After counting the money they wrote each person’s name against his amount and took it away to the Police Headquarters where he was made to write a caution statement and Peter Xu Pin, a witness in the case, asked him to cooperate with the Police for him to be freed. Xu Jin denied that he brought in Tin Tin, a Chinese girl and the first prosecution witness to Ghana and forced her into prostitution. “I did not force her into anything in Ghana,” he added. He said Tin Tin came with his wife to Ghana because she new her parents back in China. Later she started moving from one boy to another. Xu Jin said in March, 2008 when James Garden restaurant started operation Tin Tin told him she would not work in the restaurant because of her boyfriends. “I also told her to stop bringing the boys to the restaurant,” he said. Xu Jin said in October, 2008 when his wife was going back to China he asked her to send Tin Tin back home. But later his wife called to say Tin Tin’s parents were begging that she should be brought back to Ghana. He said when Tin Tin came back to Ghana she worked in the restaurant for a day and said the work was too difficult. Xu Jin said the six other Chinese girls who were found in the house were neighbours of his wife back in China who came on a visit hoping to find some work in Ghana. He said they acquired their own passports and visas as well as bought their tickets to Ghana. He said they had had several conflicts with his wife about their lifestyles but had to tolerate them because their stay was for a short period. During the cross examination DSP Mary Agbozo asked the accused whether he had visited the country before. Xu Jin said in October, 2005 he came to Ghana to do a market survey and lived with a friend at Fish Pond, near Nii Boi Town. DSP Agbozo also told the court that the business registration certificate of the accused at the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) was different from the Peach Blossom Place Restaurant that he was operating. On February 14 this year, a group of police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department led other police personnel to the house of the three accused person at Agyemang, La, in Accra. The police rescued seven of the victims, adding that, the whereabouts of three of the victims were unknown. A search conducted in the house revealed condoms, contraceptives, wooden carved penis and other medications and various sums of money, some of which belonged to the victims. The police further retrieved a Toyota saloon car with Registration number GE 9314 W believed to have been used in transporting the victims for sex trade. The vehicle, according to the prosecution had been impounded and towed to the police headquarters. One of the victims Tin Tin said they were paid 150 dollars on their return from the various sexual activities. Source: GNA