‘It will create an impression of a fixed match’ - NDC reacts to Freddie Blay's role in Aisha Huang trial

The involvement of New Patriotic Party-affiliated defense lawyers in the case involving Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, and her accomplices may create an impression of a ‘fixed match’ if the prime suspect is acquitted and discharged by the court. This is the observation of Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba. Speaking to Accra-based Joy FM on Freddie Blay’s legal representation for Aisha Huang’s co-accused persons, the legal practitioner admitted that it was professionally right for the former chairman of the New Patriotic Party to offer his services to the client. He, however, believes that lawyers from the NPP fold should have used their conscience in deciding whether or not to accept the offer especially as its government was waging war on illegal small scale mining (galamsey). Accepting the legal representation duties he said would rather lead to people pointing accusing fingers at the government, to the extent that it is disinterested in combating the menace. “Already Nkrabea Effah Darteh who is known to be connected to the NPP is the one representing Aisha Huang. Now to have the immediate past chairman of the NPP also join forces to defend these galamseyers, it gives the impression that government as it were, is not interested in fighting the menace. “One would have expected that such lawyers who are from the NPP stock would allow their conscience to guide them and for them to desist from providing such services because it goes a long way to point fingers at the government,” Amaliba said The NDC’s Director of Legal Affairs further suggested that Freddie Blay's defense of persons involved in galamsey betrays his knowledge of what transpired at the cabinet level. He stated that the former chairman of NPP who used to sit in cabinet openly defending Aisha Huang’s accomplices shows that it is going to be a “fixed match and nothing will happen to Aisha Huang.” Fixed match connoting that that the outcome of the trial would have been predetermined in the favour of the accused persons. “If at the end of the day it is found out that Aisha Huang is to be acquitted and discharged, then people will be making their deductions and saying that then the whole trial was what somebody will say…it was a fixed match. “How can your Attorney General be prosecuting somebody in this matter of national interest then you have lawyers connected…and not just any lawyers.. you have the former Chairman of the NPP who sits in cabinet…until now he used to sit in cabinet...and I want to believe that cabinet abhors the galamsey taking place in this country. “So if you have the chairman who sat in cabinet seen openly defending a galamseyer, it creates the impression that clearly this is going to be a fixed match and nothing will happen to Aisha Huang,” he emphasized. 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 that she was holding brief for Freddie Blay in the case of the four accomplices. Another NPP affiliated lawyer, Nkrabea Effah Darteh is representing the main accused, 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. Aisha Huang and her accomplices have been remanded into custody until November 24, 2022 following the judge refusal to grant them bail. You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: DS/SARA