'Disappointed' Freddie Blay justifies his defence for four alleged galamsayers

“These are my very good friends and if there’s something happening to them and I’ve been told they’re innocent, it is not against the efforts of galamsey to represent them,” says Freddie Blay. The immediate past National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has emphasized that his law firm, Blay & Associates, is not offering any legal representation for En Huang, the Chinese national, who is popularly known as Aisha Huang, in the illegal mining case before the Accra Criminal High Court 5. According to him, Blay & Associates are only representing Shi Yang alias Philip, Li Wei Guo and Shi Mei Zhi, all Chinese nationals, and a fourth accused person, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, a Vietnamese national. "I am not representing Aisha Haung and definitely not Blay and Associates; we don’t represent Aisha Haung," he told Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', adding he accepted to represent the FOUR after "a good friend" asked for his assistance. Explaining further he said his four clients, "were arrested in their homes in Kumasi; one is even married to a Ghanaian and they operate a supermarket and so he pleaded with me to represent them. Per his (friend) explanation, there might have been a mistake or an issue of stereotyping and so I instructed my office to make a representation to defend them". Freddie Blay disappointment Freddie Blay's critics including members from his party have said he should have stayed away from the case. In response he said: "I’m disappointed in those saying I can’t represent the four . . . this is the work I do; I practice law and we don’t discriminate or judge them. I find nothing wrong (to represent them) . . . it is part of our judicial system . . . Those asking me to recuse myself: these are my very good friends and if there’s something happening to them and I’ve been told they’re innocent, it is not against the efforts of galamsey to represent them". "I support government’s efforts against galamsey but not all people put before court are involved in galamsey," he added.