A pro New Patriotic Party (NPP) group, Alliance For Foot-soldiers Advocacy (AFFA) has slammed immediate past Chairman of the party, Freddie Blay for taking a case to defend the four accomplices of Chinese illegal mining kingpin, Aisha Huang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the group, Mr Blay\u2019s decision to represent Aisha Huang\u2019s accomplices is \u201cunpopular, morally subversive and a direct slap in the face of President Akufo-Addo\u2019s fight against illegal mining\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It emerged in court last week during the hearing of the state\u2019s case against Aisha Huang that Mr Blay is the lawyer for Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng, the four accomplices of Aisha Huang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When this came out, Mr Blay\u2019s law firm, Blay and Associate, issued a statement saying that they are not in court to defend illegal miners but only to represent their client who are wrongly being accused for engaging in illegal mining, also known as galamsay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But AFFA in a statement say Mr Blay\u2019s political status imposes an obligation of due diligence on him<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFreddie Blay\u2019s political status vis-a-vis, former National Chairman of the ruling party and Board Chairman of the GNPC imposes a tacit obligation of due diligence, moral reflection and principle of public perception on him, considering the level of public interest in the Aisha Huang case\u201d, portions of their statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group has therefore called on Mr Blay to cease representing the four suspected Chinese illegal miners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n