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The governing New Patriotic Party, NPP, has distanced itself from its former chairman, Freddie Blay, with regard to his role as lawyer for four co-accused persons namely; Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng, in the Aisha Huang trial.

Richard Ahiagbah, Director of Communications for the party, in an October 11 interview with Accra-based Joy FM noted, however, that the was nothing unethical about Freddie Blay taking up the case adding that he was only discharging his duties as a lawyer.

He stated that although the party has categorically indicated its abhorrence for illegal small-scale mining (galamsey), it does not determine what party members do with their respective professions.

To this end, the NPP Director of Communications has urged the public not to mix up the personality of Freddie Blay and his role as a former chairman and member of the NPP.

Richard Ahiagbah was responding to Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba's concerns about the involvement of NPP lawyers in Aisha Huang trial could create the impression of a ‘fixed match’.

“There is nothing unethical. There is nothing wrong about the former Chairman of the party representing his client. The was no conversation I guess when the former MP for Berekum Nkrabea Effah Darteh, when he represented Aisha Huang, because he was doing his professional work so the former chairman of the party is also a proven lawyer in this country long before he became chairman of the party so he is just doing his professional work. It is not instruction from the party.

“The party has not asked him to go and represent. The party’s position is that galamsey is inimical to our country and therefore we are not going to condone it. So as far as the party is concerned we don’t support galamsey but we don’t determine for our members what they do with their profession and career.

“They will have to make that decision for themselves. If a client approaches them and they see merit in their cases and they want to defend them, it is for their professional judgment to reach that. It has absolutely nothing to do with the New Patriotic Party and I think we should delink the NPP from the decision of the former chairman to take on a client who needs legal representation to give them that service,” he said

Every client deserves legal representation

Richard Ahiagbah further shot down comments by Abraham Amaliba to the effect that Freddie Blay ought to have turned down legal representation for Aisha Huang’s accomplices even though it was permissible.

According to him, every client deserves representation in court no matter their offence. He cited the instances of criminals and murderers also getting legal representation in court to buttress his point.

On the involvement of NPP lawyers in the trial, Ahiagbah said it was not going to affect the outcome of the case as the court will solely rely on evidence in deciding on the matter.

“If it is a matter of conscience then we should say that there shouldn’t be legal representation for criminals or for somebody who has killed somebody or alleged to have killed somebody. As conscience will dictate, we should all abhor such behavior and therefore no lawyer as matter of conscience should want to defend any such act

“I don’t think there will be any miscarriage of justice because the lawyers in the case are NPP related or have affiliations with the New Patriotic Party. The idea is that every client deserves a representation.

“Our laws allows for that so the client have exercised their right to have legal representation and those happens to be people affiliated with the NPP. I don’t think that necessarily changes the rules of the court which is evidence,” he added.

Freddie Blay to represent Aisha Huang’s accomplices

Aisha Huang together with her four other accomplices made a court appearance yesterday October 11 for the state to continue with their prosecution.

Private attorney Lucy Ekeleba Blay said in court on October 11, that she was holding brief for Freddie Blay in the case of the four accomplices. This is in spite of the fact that another NPP affiliated lawyer, Nkrabea Effah Darteh is representing Aisha Huang.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Godfred Dame has indicated his office readiness to fast-track the prosecution of Aisha Huang for her past and previous crimes.

Again, Aisha Huang and her accomplices have been remanded into custody until November 24, 2022 following the judge's refusal to grant them bail.