No senior member of govt should associate with Aisha Huang’s case – Agyemang-Duah

A Former United Nations Senior Governance Adviser, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah has reacted to the decision by Blay & Associates, the law firm belonging to former National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay, to defend four accomplices of Aisha Huang, who was arrested for her alleged involvement in illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) in court.

Prof Agyemang-Duah said no senior member of government should associate with a case of this nature if the government is serious in the figtt against galasemy.

Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show with Alfred Ocansey on TV3 Wednesday October 12, he said “If the government was that serious, no senior member of that government will want to associate with himself or herself with this crime that is in the court.

“I think because we have soo many lawyers in our system including our president, they are always insisting on getting evidence even if the case is quite clear.”

On Tuesday, October 11, it came to light in court that Blay & Associates is representing the suspects.

This attracted flak from persons including Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Abraham Amaliba, who indicated that “On this matter of ‘galamsey’, considering the fact that there are accusations and fingers pointing at government officials to be complicit in this ‘galamsey’ issue, if you have government lawyers, already Nkrabeah Effah Dartey is known to be connected with the NPP, now to have the immediate past Chairman of the NPP joining forces to defend these ‘galamseyers’, it gives the impression that yes government, as it were, is not interested in fighting the menace”.

But in a statement responding to these concerns, Blay & Associates said: “It has come to our attention that there has been some misconceptions and the deliberate misconstruction of our decision to represent our clients in the case of the Republic Vs Shi Yang, Shi Meizhi, Li Wei Zuo and another (Our Client), we as a firm will like to clarify these issues.

BLAY • ASSOCIATES

“To us, it would seem that our clients are collateral victims of a matter that is of great national concern. We understand the deep seated anger and sentiment on any story on illegal mining evokes in Ghanaians. Even worse is when those accused are foreign nationals because of the extensive degradation and pollution of water bodies laid at their door steps.

“At Blay & Associates however, we believe in the inviolability of the judicial system. Blay & Associates is a firm that seeks to promote justice, ensure fair trial and seek to give fair representation.

“We as firm believers in our great 1992 Constitution of Ghana agreed to defend these clients having in mind these principles.”