Defending illegal miners in court is not a crime – Nkrabea Effah Dartey backs Freddie Blay

Private legal partitioner, Captain (Rtd) Nkrabea Effah Dartey insists that there is “nothing absolutely wrong” for a lawyer to defend illegal miners in Ghana – hence, the attack on Freddie Blay for defending other ‘Galamsayers’ is “unfortunate”. The former National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party(NPP), Freddie Blay, has been in the news for defending four accomplices standing trial in court with the embattled galamsey ‘kingpin,’ Aisha Huang. Many Ghanaians claime his decision to defend the four accomplices when his party is fighting illegal mining is ‘sinful’. But, Mr Freddie Blay has vowed to continue with his process and will only bow out if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo asked him to do so. According to him, such a decision from the President will be painful but it will be the only condition that will get him to withdraw the services of his law firm for the accused persons. Reacting to the issues in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show, 'Ghana Montie', Captain (Rtd) Nkrabea Effah Dartey noted that lawyers have every right to defend who they want to. “We [lawyers] are under oath to defend all clients,” he told host Mac Jerry Osei Agyemang.