In two distinct legal actions, former NPP Chairman Freddie Blay and his son, Kwame Blay, have filed defamation lawsuits against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing him of falsely linking them to the alleged theft of state property.
Kwame Blay’s lawsuit targets only the North Tongu MP, whereas Freddie Blay’s suit includes Media General and Johnnie Hughes as additional defendants.
First Lawsuit: Kwame Blay stresses that he is separate from his brother, Kwaw, and has no involvement with the Polo Beach Club or related entities.
He firmly states that he has never interacted with Loic Devos Jnr, who is currently in a legal battle with one of Kwaw’s businesses, Press Xpress.
Kwame asserts that Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s claims of his involvement in land theft and a scheme against Loic are completely unfounded and have severely harmed his business and reputation.
Kwame questions why a lawmaker would publicly mediate a private dispute and create public disfavor for one party.
Second Lawsuit:
Freddie Blay contends that Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s actions were malicious, considering the timing near elections, with the intent to damage his well-established reputation.
He maintains that the claims made about his sons and family are entirely false.
Freddie further alleges that Media General and Johnnie Hughes disseminated false information aimed at harming his reputation.
He emphasizes that Johnnie Hughes, on his show “Johnnie’s Bite,” amplified Ablakwa’s accusations, presenting them as facts and causing additional damage to his reputation.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Freddie Blay, has addressed recent accusations surrounding the land acquisition for the Polo Beach Club, asserting that his son, Kwaw Blay, legally obtained the property from the La Traditional Council.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on Tuesday, Freddie Blay refuted claims by North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa, who suggested the land acquisition was unlawful.
Mr Blay emphasized that the land was leased to his son and his business partners for a period of 25 years, with full authorization from the traditional authorities.
“The place was leased by the traditional authorities and you call it state capture. It is a lease for about 20 to 25 years. This stretch of land used here does not belong to government and it does not belong to the Labadi Beach Hotel,” Blay clarified.
In a recent interview on Citi FM, Kwaw Blay demanded an apology from Ablakwa and threatened legal action, criticizing Ablakwa’s public comments as baseless and damaging to their reputation.
“It is so preposterous as a learned gentleman like Ablakwa himself will come and spew such utter rubbish. It is unfair that you drag our good name. By the middle of next week, he will hear from our lawyers very strongly and in different [batches]. Mind you sir he has mentioned three individuals so he should be very careful,” Kwaw Blay stated.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has confirmed reports that his son had expressed interest in purchasing shares of hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) in 2022.
In an interview on TV3 on June 24, 2024, Blay disclosed that his son, a prominent figure in the tourism sector, submitted a bid of not less than 200 million for approximately 7 SSNIT hotels, although his bid was ultimately rejected.
While Mr Blay did not specify the currency of his son’s bid, it was widely reported to be in United States dollars ($).
Mr Blay, who currently chairs the Board of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC), made these remarks while refuting accusations of state capture by his son, Kwame Blay, who was alleged to have improperly acquired the Labadi beachfront.
“My son is about 33, 34 (years old). He’s grown up, and involved in business. I don’t answer questions for him. But that apart, my son, if you care to know, is not just involved in hotels, he is involved in the tourism industry.
He further explained, “SSNIT offered to sell several hotels. He wanted a package and my son’s company Spartan (Ives SSA) applied alongside about twelve or so companies. He offered to buy it for over 150 to 200 million with a syndicate of banks supporting him and a well-branded hotel chain”.
Responding to this revelation, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, argued that Mr Blay’s disclosure undermines claims that the majority shares of four SSNIT hotels were sold to Rock City Hotel Limited, owned by Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, who reportedly bid US$61 million.
“We were told Bryan Acheampong offered the highest bid of US$61 million; now former NPP Chairman, Freddie Blay also says his 34-year-old son offered ‘150 to 200 million’ for the SSNIT hotel,” Ablakwa wrote in a post shared on Facebook on June 25, 2024.
Former National Chairman of theNew Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay,expressed opposition to the idea of SSNIT seeking approval or consultations before making investments in other businesses.
In an interview with TV3’s Beatrice Adu on The Keypoints, Mr. Blay argued that SSNIT operates with its own board, which should have the autonomy to make decisions independently.
Regarding concerns raised by Organised Labour about their representatives on the board opposing SSNIT’s sale of the hotels, Mr. Blay emphasized that decisions of such significance cannot be dictated solely by a minority within the board.
He defended SSNIT’s transparency in publicly advertising the sale of the hotels, stating that such actions are within the board’s prerogative and are binding on all stakeholders involved.
“SSNIT decided to get involve with hotel management and purchased some hotels… I don’t believe they want to consult TUC before they do that…When you have a decision and they take a decision , the decision is binding; it is one decision…I will be surprise that four members of a board taking a decision that we don’t want one hotel to be sold.
“I can’t question the decision of SSNIT because government appointed members. I don’t have any problem with that if they decide that as a policy….indeed I’m not too sure when they decided, some tell me that they decided to dispose it as far back as 2015, 2016 when NDC was in office.
Mr. Blay stressed that he would have purchased the hotels being sold if he has the financial muscle.
Kwame Blay, son of former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay, has threatened legal action against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, over allegations of unlawful land acquisition made by the MP.
Ablakwa’s allegations pertain to the Blay family’s purported attempt to acquire prime land from the state-owned Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
This has ignited a heated dispute, with Freddie Blay demanding an apology from Ablakwa, journalist Johnnie Hughes, and Media General’s management, while also hinting at potential legal recourse.
In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Kwame Blay expressed astonishment at Ablakwa’s claims and underscored their damaging impact on his family’s reputation.
“…It is so preposterous as a learned gentleman like Ablakwa himself will come and spew such utter rubbish. It is unfair that you drag our good name.,” he remarked.
“By the middle of next week, he will hear from our lawyers very strongly and in different [batches]. Mind you sir he has mentioned three individuals so he should be very careful,” Kwame Blay warned.
In the midst of the controversy, Ablakwa has stood firm, encouraging Freddie Blay to pursue legal action and hinting that he might disclose further details regarding the purported state capture.
In a recent social media post dated June 19, 2024, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has made further allegations against Kwaw Worsemao Blay, son of former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Freddie Blay.
Ablakwa published company registration documents showing that Kwaw Worsemao Blay’s company, Spartan-Ives Limited, was among the shortlisted entities in the controversial sale of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) hotels.
The MP’s post suggests that Kwaw Blay’s involvement in the SSNIT hotels sale comes after his alleged legal battle over a popular beachfront belonging to the state-owned Labadi Beach Hotel.
Ablakwa’s post reads, “Apparently, Freddie Blay’s son, Kwaw, has bigger plans for Labadi Beach Hotel beyond controlling its lucrative beachfront.”
He further states, “This latest information pointing to a spirited effort by Mr. Kwaw Blay to purchase SSNIT’s hotels after his infamous beachfront encroachment is certainly bound to create fresh credibility crisis for Mr. Freddie Blay who claimed only last week, amidst issuing threats, that his sons have never been interested in capturing or owning SSNIT’s hotels.”
Ablakwa has dared Freddie Blay to proceed to court over the allegations he has put out so far. He recently led a protest against the planned sale of some SSNIT hotels to Rock City Limited, a hotel conglomerate owned by agric minister Bryan Acheampong, and has submitted a 15-point petition to the presidency demanding the sale be canceled.
He is also pushing a private members’ bill against public officials buying state assets.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has stood firm against Freddie Blay, former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, challenging him to pursue legal recourse over allegations linking him to the acquisition of Labadi Beach Hotel’s front space.
Blay, also serving as GNPC Board Chair, has issued a one-week ultimatum to Ablakwa, TV3’s management, and Johnnie Hughes, demanding a retraction of what he views as baseless claims against him and his family.
Blay asserts that his children obtained sections of the beachfront legally from the LA Council, separate from the management of the Labadi Beach Hotel.
Ablakwa alleges a broader scheme of state capture involving Blay and his sons, accusing them of gaining interests in the beachfront traditionally under the hotel’s control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BbPNMmEpEo
He claims this acquisition has left the hotel uniquely unable to fully manage its beachfront compared to other hotels globally.
Blay maintains that while discussions with the hotel occurred, no agreement was reached. Subsequently, his sons approached the La Traditional Council to formalise their business interests on the beachfront.
He defends the legitimacy of his son’s property rights and questions why the hotel has not pursued legal action to contest it.
But in an X post on Sunday, Ablakwa declared, “I cannot retract the truth, Mr. Freddy Blay. Since you are getting no retraction from me, please go to court now; don’t wait for one week.”
I cannot retract the truth, Mr. Freddy Blay.
Since you are getting no retraction from me, please go to court now — don’t wait for one week.
After our Tuesday, 18th June, 2024 ‘Hands Off our Hotels Demonstration’ — Ghanaians should expect more unimpeachable exposés on how the… pic.twitter.com/i04n3Hu0yK
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 16, 2024
He further announced an upcoming demonstration on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, titled‘Hands Off Our Hotels,’ promising further revelations on the issue and affirming a commitment to combating state capture, concluding with a patriotic call to action: “For God and Country. Ghana First.”
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and current GNPC Board Chair, Freddie Blay, has issued a one-week ultimatum to North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, TV3’s management, and broadcast journalist Johnnie Hughes. He demands a retraction of what he describes as unfounded and baseless allegations against him and his family regarding state capture.
Blay expressed his dissatisfaction with claims that his family illegitimately acquired beachfront property managed by Labadi Beach Hotel. He clarified that his children lawfully obtained portions of the beachfront from the La Traditional Council and that their property is independent of the hotel’s management.
He accused Ablakwa of engaging in cheap propaganda aimed at damaging his family’s reputation, following Ablakwa’s accusations of a grand scheme of state capture involving top NPP officials. Ablakwa specifically alleged that Blay and his sons acquired interests in beachfront property traditionally managed by Labadi Beach Hotel, thereby compromising the hotel’s exclusive control.
In an interview with Oyerepa FM, Blay explained that initial negotiations between his sons and the hotel’s management were unsuccessful, leading his sons to formally acquire the beachfront from the La Traditional Council. He defended his sons’ actions as lawful and questioned why the hotel has not contested this interest in court.
Blay asserted, “If the hotel considers that somebody has taken its lands, the courts are there; they should go to court. I have seen correspondence that tried to negotiate for them to work together, but it never worked—so nobody has taken anybody’s land, definitely not my children. They are not involved in any state capture.”
He further criticized the portrayal of his family by Okudzeto Ablakwa and some media personnel, including Johnnie Hughes and TV3 management, as engaging in illegitimate business activities. He stressed that these claims are damaging and misleading.
Blay has given the North Tongu MP and the TV3 presenter a one-week ultimatum to apologize for the allegations of state capture. “I feel very defamed. Where my sons are operating is not for Labadi Beach Hotel. It is not their property, and unfortunately, Ablakwa and Johnnie are making it look like I have stolen the lands, making people call me a thief. I give Okudzeto Ablakwa and the TV3 management, including Johnnie Hughes, one week to render an apology to me and my family, or I will go to court,” he stated.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has released new information regarding the legal dispute involving the children of former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and lawyer, Freddie Blay.
The litigation centers on the Polo Beach Club, with Loic Devos Junior and Kwaw Worsemao Blay as the main parties involved.
In a post on X, Mr. Ablakwa detailed the developments, stating, “I have been poring over some additional 600 pages of court documents including rulings and exhibits in the Loic Devos Junior and Kwaw Worsemao Blay Polo Beach Club litigation.”
The documents reveal intricate details of alleged “treachery, betrayal, and backstabbing,” which Mr. Ablakwa described as “chilling” and likened to a Hollywood blockbuster. He expressed sympathy for Loic Devos Junior, who he claims was “crudely hounded out of the deal by the Blay brothers.” However, he emphasized that Labadi Beach Hotel deserves the most sympathy.
The court documents highlight a bitter dispute over substantial sums of money generated from business activities on Labadi Hotel’s encroached beachfront. Despite these proceeds, Labadi Beach Hotel reportedly received no share, following the alleged breach of a joint venture agreement by Kwaw Worsemao Blay and Kwame Edenkema Blay.
Key financial details from the litigation include:
Gross revenue for the 2019 event: GHS 4,337,113.59
Corporate sponsorship from Pernod Ricard West Africa for the 2020 event: GHS 457,833.87 (€65,000)
Payment made to an individual named “Small God”: US$50,000.00
Amount withdrawn for Mr. Affutu: GHS 25,000.00
Payment made to a company owned by Kwaw Blay for alleged social media platform management services during the 2020 event: GHS 75,000.00
Amount allegedly fraudulently paid by Kwaw Worsemao Blay to himself: GHS 300,000.00
Credit balance on the Company’s momo account as of February 2021: GHS 244,124.32
Monies paid from the Company’s Stanbic Bank account on 23rd January 2023 to one Aminu Adam Zanz: GHS 357,595.00
Amount paid from the Company’s Stanbic Bank account on 23rd January 2023 to Kwaw Worsemao Blay: GHS 100,000.00
Loic Devos Junior is demanding that the funds spent by Kwaw Worsemao Blay without his consent as director of Gold Coast Expo Ltd be refunded with interest.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ablakwa has warned, that “these marauding encroachers and their enablers in high places should prepare to meet us in Parliament soon.”
I have been poring over some additional 600 pages of court documents including rulings and exhibits in the Loic Devos Junior and Kwaw Worsemao Blay Polo Beach Club litigation.
The documents provide further details of treachery, betrayal and backstabbing which are indeed… pic.twitter.com/q0oFMrFv3W
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 7, 2024
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has leveled serious accusations against Kwaw Worsemao Blay, son of former New Patriotic Party [NPP] National Chairman Freddie Worsemao Blay.
According to Ablakwa, Kwaw Worsemao Blay has allegedly hijacked the beachfront property of Labadi Beach Hotel and defrauded his business partner, Loic Devos Junior.
Ablakwa’s claims, which he shared in a recent post, are based on explosive court documents that he has obtained and analyzed. The Independent Ghana is yet to independently verify these allegations.
Ablakwa reveals that Devos Junior initiated legal action against Kwaw Worsemao Blay on February 17, 2023, at the Accra High Court (Commercial Division).
In his suit (Suit Number: CM/MISC/0302/2023), Devos alleges that Blay cheated him out of their joint business operations and fraudulently denied him financial benefits.
The court documents state that Devos and Blay formed Gold Coast Expo Limited in 2019 and organized Polo Beach Club events at Labadi Beach Hotel’s beachfront.
Explosive court documents I have obtained and currently analysing reveal that top politically exposed persons associated with the ruling NPP have long had a grand state capture scheme to completely take over SSNIT’s hotels, particularly, the super profitable Labadi Beach Hotel.… pic.twitter.com/VO05BfYJwN
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 1, 2024
They initially had a joint venture agreement with the hotel, but Blay allegedly breached the terms unilaterally, excluding the hotel and taking over the beach front.
Ablakwa’s post details how Blay constructed a bypass entry to the beach front, seized control of gate proceeds, and blocked Devos from accessing company accounts. He also claims Blay used another company, Press Xpress Limited, to usurp business transactions and sponsorship deals.
Internal investigations by Labadi Beach Hotel’s board implicated the hotel’s former Managing Director, Rene Vincent-Ernst, in the encroachment scheme. Vincent-Ernst was dismissed in November 2022 after allegedly conspiring with Blay to breach the joint venture agreement.
The court filings reveal Devos’s request for interlocutory injunctions to prevent Blay from launching independent Polo Beach Club events and to restrain him from spending or disposing of the company’s funds. He also seeks to stop Blay from claiming to be the Managing Director of Gold Coast Expo Limited.
Ablakwa criticizes the board and management of both Labadi Beach Hotel and SSNIT for allowing this encroachment and calls for President Akufo-Addo to address the issue. He emphasizes the need for accountability and protection of state assets from politically exposed persons.
Ablakwa attached court documents to his post to support his claims.
on September 22, 2022 was rejected by the Labadi board because of the then active investigations into the conspiracy with Mr. Blay to capture the beachfront.
Mr. Rene Vincent-Ernst subsequently proceeded to an Accra Human Rights Court on November 18, 2022 challenging his… pic.twitter.com/jDgtWRkMfT
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 1, 2024
Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwahas revealed details linking former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, and his son to the ownership of the ‘famous’ SSNIT hotels.
Providing the information alongside copies of court documents on his social media handle, the National Democratic Congress MP stated that Freddie Blay’s son now asserts ownership of the beachfront of the Labadi Beach Hotel.
Additionally, the MP highlighted that this revelation makes the Ghanaian hotel the “only beachfront hotel in the world without exclusive control over its entire beachfront.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa elaborated on how this information surfaced, noting that it was disclosed in court documents filed by a former partner of Freddie Blay, who felt deceived by the former NPP national chairman.
“It has emerged that the Hon. Bryan Acheampong is not the only ruling party associate with ‘plans’ for Labadi Beach Hotel.
“The bombshell court documents confirm that the son of the former National Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Kwaw Worsemao Blay now claims to be the new owner of the beachfront which had always belonged to the Labadi Beach Hotel.
“Labadi Beach Hotel has thus become the only beachfront hotel in the world which does not have exclusive control over its entire beachfront.
“Sadly, because of the powerful politically exposed persons involved in this shady encroachment, the Board and management of Labadi Beach Hotel appear helpless.
“Ghanaians may never have known of this shocking hostile 2022 takeover by then NPP Chairman, Mr. Freddy Worsemao Blay’s son if Mr. Kwaw Worsemao Blay’s business partner, Mr. Loic Devos Junior had not initiated legal action at an Accra High Court (Commercial Division) on February 17, 2023 alleging that his business partner, Mr. Kwaw Worsemao Blay has cheated him out of their business operations and fraudulently denied him of the financial benefits of their joint business dealings,” he detailed.
The North Tongu legislator further disclosed that Loic Devos Junior, a partner to Freddie Blay, entered into a mutual agreement with the former NPP chairman but was subsequently deceived in the arrangement.
Following this, Freddie Blay allegedly restricted Loic Devos from accessing the company’s accounts, assuming full control of the business without his involvement.
Okudzeto Ablakwa also implicated a former Managing Director of theLabadi Beach Hotel in the matter involving Freddie Blay, suggesting that this led to the dismissal of the hotel boss, Rene Vincent-Ernst.
Explosive court documents I have obtained and currently analysing reveal that top politically exposed persons associated with the ruling NPP have long had a grand state capture scheme to completely take over SSNIT’s hotels, particularly, the super profitable Labadi Beach Hotel.… pic.twitter.com/VO05BfYJwN
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 1, 2024
Dr. Dennis Addo stands as a notable figure of accomplishment, as the founder and CEO of Claron Hospital and co-founder of Bisa, an internationally acclaimed health app, his professional prowess is evident.
Situated in the upscale Airport Residential area of Accra, his hospital caters to the affluent elite of the country.
Despite his established success, Dr. Addo’s academic pursuits led him to Harvard University for a degree in Public Administration in 2019.
A report by the Fourth Estate has revealed that the Ghanaian government, through its Scholarship Secretariat, that footed the bill of USD 50,031 for his tuition and living expenses in the United States.
This allocation from a fund intended to aid financially needy Ghanaian students raises eyebrows given Dr. Addo’s credentials and financial standing.
Dr. Addo’s affiliations with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and his involvement in TESCON, the party’s student wing, hint at potential political connections facilitating his scholarship acquisition.
Additionally, he benefited from the Cheng Fellowship during his time at Harvard, further easing his financial burden.
This case of easy funding for the politically connected starkly contrasts with the struggles faced by genuinely needy Ghanaian students, who often encounter insurmountable obstacles in accessing support from the Scholarship Secretariat.
The Fourth Estate’s investigation revealed a pattern of politically connected and socially privileged individuals securing scholarships meant for the underprivileged. Names like Gifty Oware-Mensah, Fawzy Ramadan, Michael Ofori-Atta Jr., and others underscore the prevalence of this trend.
Criticism directed at the Scholarship Secretariat highlights discrepancies in its allocation criteria. While the agency’s mandate is to support brilliant yet needy Ghanaian students, it appears that political and social connections often outweigh genuine need.
Despite assurances from the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, regarding transparent selection processes, the absence of documented guidelines raises concerns.
Dr. Agyemang’s acknowledgment of influential recommendations influencing scholarship awards further muddles the transparency of the process.
The deputy minority spokesperson on education, Dr. Clement Apaak, and Prof. Peter Quartey from the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) emphasize the need for an unbiased selection process.
They advocate for equal opportunities and fair assessment for all applicants, irrespective of their political or social standing.
In essence, the indiscriminate awarding of scholarships to politically connected individuals and their associates undermines the intended purpose of the Scholarship Secretariat. It perpetuates inequality and deprives genuinely needy students of opportunities for academic advancement.
Dr Dennis Addo is by all indications an accomplished man. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Claron Hospital and co-founder of Bisa, an international award-winning health app.
His hospital, located on a quiet street in the affluent Airport Residential area in Accra, caters for some of the country’s elite with deep pockets.
He is apparently so good at what he does that he was appointed to the board of the National Health Insurance Authority from 2017-2020.Dr Addo, by all indications, is not a poor man.
He is not a man in need and he’s certainly not someone who is so desperate to further his education to boost his life chances.Yet, when he decided to pursue a degree in Public Administration in Harvard University, it was the Ghana government, through its Scholarship Secretariat, that paid USD50,031 for his tuition and living expenses in the United States in 2019.
That money came from a fund meant to help needy, underprivileged Ghanaian students to further their education. But for his political connections and social privileges, it is hard to imagine how a man with Dr Addo’s credentials, not to mention wealth, could be classified as needy and eligible to access a government scholarship to the tune of USD50,031.
Dr Addo describes himself as a pioneer member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) students’ wing, TESCON. He recently contested in the NPP’s parliamentary primary at Atwima Nwabiagya South in the Ashanti Region but lost.In addition to the government scholarship, Dr Addo was also awarded the Cheng Fellowship at Harvard in the course of his studies.
He did not respond to our email asking for comments.While there is no explicit information on the financial benefits of Cheng Fellowship, Harvard University’s policy on fellows renumerations stipulates that “generally between $55,000 and $70,000” is paid “per year depending on experience and the nature of each Fellowship assignment.”
Dr Dennis Addo is the founder and CEO of the Claron Hospital in Accra. He received funding for his Masters in Public Administration in Harvard University
Dr Dennis Addo is the founder and CEO of the Claron Hospital in Accra. He received funding for his Masters in Public Administration in Harvard University
For his studies at Harvard, therefore, Dr Addo had two streams of financial support – one from the Scholarship Secretariat and the other from Harvard University.
He was there for two years.The Fourth Estate has found that Dr Addo is one of many politically-connected and social elites who have been competing with some of the country’s poor but brilliant students for funding from the Scholarship Secretariat.
We could not reach him for a response. Easy funding for the politically-connected, frustration for the needy Many ordinary Ghanaians who apply for assistance from the Scholarship Secretariat have told us that they face a monumental hurdle in the shape of protocol lists that make it next to impossible for them to receive the support they need.
They had to compete with politicians, their relatives and associates, as well as socialites and diplomats. After receiving numerous complaints from scholarship applicants, The Fourth Estate asked in March 2021 for data from the Scholarship Secretariat on those who have been awarded scholarships in 2019 and 2020.
The secretariat initially refused to grant the request, claiming the data was confidential. But the Right to Information (RTI) Commission ordered that personal information should be redacted and the data released.
The Commission based its ruling on the premise that the scholarships were funded with public money.
The Scholarship Secretariat’s response to the RTI request showed that it had spent GHS237.5 million and GHS200 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively, covering both foreign and local scholarships.
The Scholarship Secretariat, an agency under the Office of the President, was established in 1960 with the primary purpose of providing local and foreign scholarships to academically gifted but financially needy students.
Following the country’s liberation from colonial rule, the Nkrumah administration set up scholarship programmes as a means to incentivise and attract top talents to bolster the nation’s workforce by assisting citizens who lacked the financial means to fund their education.
In recent years, however, the secretariat has faced criticism for allegedly perpetuating patronage, often overlooking deserving applicants in favour of those with political and high society connections.
A major source of funding for the Scholarship Secretariat is GETFund. Section 2.2(b) of the GETFund Act requires the Scholarship Secretariat to allocate funds to support “gifted but needy students for studies in second cycle and accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana.”
In 2019-2020, the Scholarship Secretariat spent at least 291,480 pounds sterling (GBP), 146,502 US dollars (USD) and 7,685 Canadian dollars (CAD) on 20 influential individuals and the associates of the political elite.
The NSS Deputy Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah (nee Oware-Aboagye)
For example, Gifty Oware-Mensah (née Oware-Aboagye), obtained a government scholarship of GBP18,450 to study at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom in 2020 to pursue an MSc in Development Policy and Politics.
She was awarded the scholarship three years after she started working for the National Service Secretariat as Deputy Executive Director. In the same year, she acquired Berry Ladies FC, a female football formerly known as Halifax Ladies FC, currently playing in Ghana’s women premier league.
When The Fourth Estate reached out to her on January 19, 2024, she denied receiving any scholarship.“From 2019, my name has been Gifty Oware-Mensah. Let me call Kingsley [Agyemang] and get back. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Let me speak to them and get back to you.”She later sent a text message that she was driving to Sunyani and would revert. Subsequent calls to her did not yield result.Fawzy Ramadan, a relative and personal assistant to Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, was awarded GBP17,355 to cover the cost of tuition for an MSc in Global Supply Chain Management at Brunel University in the UK.
However, Mr Ramadan never pursued the course because he claimed he was involved in an accident during the peak of COVID-19 and could not defer the course.
Neither he nor the state benefitted in any way from the tuition fee paid to the Brunel University on his behalf. He said the school later wrote to him demanding the cost of accommodation from him when he had not stepped a foot on the university’s campus.
Michael Ofori-Atta Jr is a relative of the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta (right).Then there is Michael Ofori-Atta Jr. The weight of political connections appears to have heavily favoured him, being a relative of President Nana Akufo-Addo and former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
In 2020, the Scholarship Secretariat paid the University of Birmingham GBP16,740 for Michael to enroll in a programme called the Foundation Pathways – Social Sciences, Business and Law.
Michael Ofori-Atta Jr is a relative of the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta (right).
The university describes the course as a “pathway that will lead its students into a number of possible undergraduate degrees” within its College of Arts and Law or College of Social Sciences.We could not reach him for a response.No photo description available.
If social media posts extolling the virtues of the NPP and some of its big wigs count for anything, then they certainly did for Celestina Amoako Atta.
The NPP youth activist was granted a GBP27,980 scholarship to study for an MSc in Information Business Management and Digital Business at the Coventry University in the UK in 2019.
Ms Amoako Atta is currently an Assistant Administrative Officer at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
When The Fourth Estate disclosed the reason for reaching out to her during a phone call, she claimed she could not hear anything being said. She did not respond to subsequent calls.
According to data provided by the Scholarship Secretariat, a leading member of the NPP, Nana Poku Frefre was awarded a GBP28,080 scholarship to study for an MSc in Strategic Studies and Energy Security at the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom in 2019.
Mr Frefre, who is a founding member of the NPP branch in Scotland, told The Fourth Estate that although he got the Scholarship Secretariat award, he opted for a much better one from GETFund.
He is now the Head of New Media for the Ashanti Regional NPP Communication team and an aide to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, alias Chairman Wontumi.
Kelvin Ofori Gyimah joined the league of state-sponsored students in the UK in 2020 for a Master of laws (LLM) degree in International Human Rights Law at Brunel University at a cost of GBP17,355.He is the current president of the NPP’s student wing (TESCON) in the UK.Mr Gyimah is yet to respond to our requests for comment.
Amenyo Kwame Akoto is a Special Assistant to the Member of Parliament for Mpohor, John A.A. Sanie. Mr Akoto received GBP17,355 for a Master’s programme in International Relations at the Brunel University in 2020. We could not reach him for comments.
If the curriculum vitae (CV) of Charles Asmah is anything to go by, then he was nowhere close to being a needy student when he received GBP28,380 for tuition and cost of living expenses during his studies for a Masters of Law degree in Legal Practice at the BPP University.
At the time he secured the scholarship, his online resume showed that he was working as a finance and tax consultant at WhitePoplar UK Limited, and a lecturer at the College of Haringey also in the UK.Mr Asmah is now a solicitor in the UK. Further checks showed that he has been living in the UK since 2008. He is also the NPP’s UK branch Treasurer.
He confirmed receiving the scholarship to The Fourth Estate. He, however, said he has been shuttling between the two countries. When The Fourth Estate asked if he was the Treasurer of the NPP in the UK, the line went mute, followed by shouts of “hello” from him, indicating he could not hear the question.Just like Mr Asmah, Christine Ofosu-Ampadu has an impeccable resume.
She is a private legal practitioner. She graduated with LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom and had a Bar Professional training education at Nottingham Trent University, also in the United Kingdom.
She was called to the bar in New York in 2020. She worked as a crown prosecutor in the UK. With all these credentials she still needed USD6,570 from the Scholarship Secretariat to intern at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands in 2019.
Ms Ofosu-Ampadu confirmed in an email to The Fourth Estate that she received the funds for her internship.Another lawyer, Amma Frimpomaa Dwumah, received USD12,200 for a certificate in programme Implementing Public Policy at Harvard University in the United States in 2019. Ms Dwumah was appointed Managing Director of SIC Saving and Loans in July 2017.
Before that, she was a legal practitioner with Dery & Co, a law firm owned by the former Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery. She is a former NPP Womens Organiser for Asunafo North Constituency.The Fourth Estate reached out to Amma Frimpomaa through her official email address but received no response.
Away from the legal gown, Raphael Patrick Sarfo is among the few who opted for professional development courses the state paid for. He received GBP5,995 for a course in Strategic Human Resource: Aligning with Corporate Vision.
The Ashanti Regional NPP Youth Organiser attended Crown Agents Training and Professional Development in the UK in 2019.When The Fourth Estate reached Mr Sarfo, he said thousands of people had benefited from similar scholarships and that he was not accountable to The Fourth Estate.Children of the political & social elite.
Asante familyFormer Inspector-General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu’s daughter, Nana Asabea Asante-Apeatu is one of the recipients.In 2018, Nana Adubea Asante-Apeatu was in Ashesi University, one of Ghana’s most prestigious private universities, offering Computer Science. Ashesi is a distant dream for many Ghanaian parents because of its high fees and reputation for excellence.
Former Inspector-General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu’s daughter, Nana Asabea Asante-Apeatu is one of the recipients
Many consider the university as the country’s version of an ivy league institution. The Computer Science programme at Ashesi cost GHS51,200 per semester now. But with a Ghana government scholarship, Nana Adubea, daughter of former Inspector-General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu, withdrew from Ashesi in 2019 and headed to the United Kingdom where she enrolled at the University of Aberdeen to study for a Bachelor of Law degree (with options in Computer Science).
In 2019 alone, the state paid GBP27,480 for her tuition and living expenses.Zina familyZina Asante (right) is the daughter of actress Juliet Asante who is now the CEO of the National Film AuthorityIn that same year, Zina Asante, daughter of actress and CEO of the National Film Authority, Juliet Asante, secured a place at Emmanuel College in the United States of America for a pre-medicine programme, costing USD41,026.
The school described the course as “a launching pad towards a remarkable journey into the field of medicine.”
Zina was not the only beneficiary awarded a government scholarship to pursue a pre-med course.
Zina Asante (right) is the daughter of actress Juliet Asante who is now the CEO of the National Film Authority
Nine others, including Araba Twumasi Mensah, the daughter of a former member of Parliament for Kwesimintim, Joe Mensah, also received funding for the same course. Miss Mensah took a pre-medicine course at the University of Oklahoma from 2019 to 2023.
She got the scholarship at a time her father was a legislator. In 2019 alone, she received USD36,675 to cover her tuition and living expenses.The reputation of a prominent politician and lawyer can effortlessly swing doors open for his children.
It probably did for Adom Effah-Dartey, son of Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, a leading member of the NPP, a former MP and a former deputy minister of Interior in the Kufuor administration. In 2019, Adom was awarded a scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Law degree programme at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. The Scholarship Secretariat paid GBP19,130 for the course.
Lucie Blay Ekeleba is a practicing lawyer and a daughter of Freddie Blay, the board chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC), a former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and until recently, the Chairman of the ruling NPP.Her mother, Gina Blay, has been Ghana’s ambassador to Germany from 2017 to date. Her parents co-own the biggest private newspaper in Ghana—the Daily Guide.
She received GBP5,933 to pursue a course that would qualify her to practice law in England and Wales. These funds went to the City University of London (GBP2,283) and Kaplan University College (GBP 3,650) in 2020.Lucie Blay Ekeleba (middle) is a daughter of influential parents, Mr Freddie Blay, the Chairman of the Board of the GNPC and Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany, Gina BlayLucie Blay Ekeleba (middle) is a daughter of influential parents, Mr Freddie Blay, the Chairman of the Board of the GNPC and Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany, Gina BlayFlorence Akonor became Ghana’s High Commissioner to Malaysia in July 2022.
Before then, she had received GBP4,037 for a programme known as the Executive Leadership in Action run by Crown Agents Training and Professional Development in the United States in 2020.
She is a career diplomat who has served in positions including head of chancery at the Ghana High Commission in India, Minister Counsellor at the Ghana Embassy in Ethiopia, Minister at the Ghana High Commissions in Canada and South Africa.She confirmed that the Scholarship Secretariat sponsored the short course in the United States.
In the case of her peer in diplomacy, Mawutor N.K. Alifo, the state paid CAD7,685 for his Masters in Law programme at the University of Ottawa. Mr Alifo is a Foreign Service Officer who received the scholarship while in Canada.
A year later, he acted as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada being the highest-ranking foreign service officer after the exit of the then High Commissioner, Nii Ayikoi Otoo.Worthy investment?The Scholarship Secretariat also invested 20,000 euros in a former Ashesi University student, Chelsea Naa Arday, to get a Master of Science degree in Luxury and Fashion Management at the Paris School of Business in 2019-2020. The beneficiary’s CV is not one that shows she is from a needy background.
Another 44,180 euros was spent on Innocentia Manza Norku, a former Systems Administrator at the Controller and Accountant General to pursue a Master’s in Food and Beverage Management at the College of Paris in France.
Discrepancies in criteria and guidelines The GETFund Act, which makes funding available to the Scholarship Secretariat, explicitly stipulates that government scholarships are meant to support brilliant but needy Ghanaian students.
The Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, insists that this provision merely means that the primary criteria for receiving a scholarship are for the applicant to have a Ghanaian citizenship and an admission offer to a local or foreign university.
The award of the scholarship has nothing to do with need, he claims.While rejecting suggestions that scholarships are being wantonly awarded to those who are well-connected to the political and social elite, Dr Agyeman implied that recommendations from powerful persons and offices sometimes influence the award of scholarships.
While rejecting suggestions that scholarships are being wantonly awarded to those who are well-connected to the political and social elite, Dr Agyeman implied that recommendations from powerful persons and offices sometimes influence the award of scholarships.
I have journalists and the media making recommendations for people. I also do know that we have chiefs and the clergy making recommendations for people. I also do know that I have politicians on both sides also making recommendations for people they believe deserve an award,” he said.
“We live in a society where we are somehow connected in so many ways and it becomes difficult when we want to separate these little interactions.”Despite Mr Agyeman’s insistence on the existence of selection guidelines, the Scholarship Secretariat failed to provide any document with such guidelines to The Fourth Estate.
Repeated calls and Whatsapp messages requesting for the guidelines went unanswered.Dr Clement Apaak, the deputy minority spokesperson on education, insists that using any criteria other than “brilliant but needy” to award scholarships, defeats the purpose of setting up the Scholarship Secretariat.
Dr Apaak photo 2Dr Clement Apaak, MP for Builsa South“When we bring in exclusive groups as being conduits through which scholarships can be given, then we are subjecting the process to abuse,” he said.
Prof Peter Quartey, the Director of Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), agreed with Dr Apaak and noted that relying on recommendations to assess need is not good enough.“
Dr Clement Apaak, MP for Builsa South
For the politically-exposed people, they are Ghanaians. They pay taxes. They should meet the minimum standards that are set and they should all be part of the process,” he said.“If we have an independent committee or board that assesses every application, they will all be given equal opportunity.
When politically-exposed persons want to apply, they can apply – except when there is influence and they are the ones who benefit most.”
ProfProf Peter Quartey, Director ISSER, University of GhanaDr Apaak, however, insists that influential or politically exposed persons and their close relatives should not be eligible to apply for government scholarships.
He asserted that it was not for nothing that tax laws are designed to positively discriminate in favour of the poor and added that the needy also deserve their fair share of opportunities offered by the state.He described the offering of scholarship to influential people, children of the affluent and their associates as a form of greed.
This, he said, has the tendency to widen the inequality gap between the rich and the poor in society.
“It is in their own interest not to continue to be greedy and selfish, where they can afford to educate their wards and yet they choose to let their wards benefit from scholarship that should be going to the wards of the less fortunate in society,” Dr Apaak said.
“Society ought to be designed in a way that [we] would always sacrifice collectively to bring up those who are down.”
Source: The Fourth Estate Ghana
DISCLAIMER: TIGPost.co will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
Former national chairman of Ghana’s New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay exposed growing concerns that Germany and other nations are contemplating demanding debt repayments if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo signs the controversial anti-LGBT+ bill into law.
Blay disclosed that this potential move is seen as a protest against the bill, which critics argue is discriminatory and violates human rights principles.
Speaking in an interview with Oyerepa TV on March 8, 2024, Blay emphasised the country’s dependence on international financial assistance and highlighted Germany’s explicit warning that imposing such a bill could trigger demands for loan repayments.
“The reality is that we depend on international bodies for financial assistance, we go and borrow money from them and we pay …Germany I am aware of…says if we impose such bill, we will demand our payment on loans and no compromise on that and many other countries have said similar, IMF itself has made it clear on some of the conditions,” Freddie Blay stated.
The Ministry of Finance has issued a stern warning to President Akufo-Addo, cautioning him against assenting to the anti-LGBT+ bill.
A 5-page document released by the ministry reveals the substantial financial repercussions, with Ghana risking the loss of $3.8 billion in World Bank financing.
The document outlines potential losses for 2024, estimating a staggering $600 million in budget support and an additional $250 million earmarked for the Financial Stability Fund.
Freddie Blay, former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a lawyer, has shared details about his traumatic arrest and imprisonment, calling it an awful and painful experience.
During an exclusive interview with Joy Prime’s Roselyn Felli, Blay explained that his arrest was unjustified as he had not committed any offence that warranted his incarceration.
“Honestly, I did nothing that should have gotten me even arrested. What happened was that they were looking for Kweku Baako and a few friends who they thought were a danger and a rival movement to the then Rawling’s government, which was taking over power from this country. Kweku Baako had come to visit me because the place was becoming a bit dangerous, and he’s been advised to leave town.
“He wanted to go to Abidjan by road. So, he asked my permission, and I said, Why not? I have a house in Takoradi; he can go and live there and continue his journey. Not that they were looking for him officially, but he really felt threatened,” he reminisced.
Regrettably, Mr. Blay’s act of kindness led to his apprehension as he was suspected of being an accomplice of Kweku Baako’s team.
“I was kept at the barracks for about two to three months and sent to Ho Prisons, where I stayed for about seven more months, and then brought to Usher Fort for about a month or two. Afterwards, I was freed. I was happy to be freed because the experience was bad.”
“They gave me severe beatings, and fortunately, they saw Kweku Baako in my house, arrested him, and started shooting in the house. At that time, my wife, who was then my girlfriend, and we were getting closer to marriage had a miscarriage there and then because of the way they were shooting around. They carried myself and Kweku Baako back to Accra and put us in custody just because he was my friend and had been kept in my house,” Mr. Blay further narrated.
When asked if he was informed about the crime Kweku Baako had committed, the former NPP chairman replied, “No.”
Despite the trauma he experienced, Blay’s ambition in politics remained strong, and he worked hard to become one of the most renowned politicians in Ghana.
Freddie Blay assumed the role of NPP chairman in 2018.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman and lawyer, Freddie Blay, has opened up about his traumatic arrest and imprisonment in the past, describing it as an awful and painful experience.
In an exclusive interview with Joy Prime’s Roselyn Felli, Blay recounted the reason behind his arrest, stating that it was unjustified as he had not committed any offence that warranted his incarceration.
“Honestly, I did nothing that should have gotten me even arrested. What happened was that they were looking for Kweku Baako and a few friends who they thought were a danger and a rival movement to the then Rawling’s government, which was taking over power from this country. Kweku Baako had come to visit me because the place was becoming a bit dangerous, and he’s been advised to leave town.
“He wanted to go to Abidjan by road. So, he asked my permission, and I said, Why not? I have a house in Takoradi; he can go and live there and continue his journey. Not that they were looking for him officially, but he really felt threatened,” he reminisced.
Regrettably, Mr. Blay’s act of kindness led to his apprehension as he was suspected of being an accomplice of Kweku Baako’s team.
“I was kept at the barracks for about two to three months and sent to Ho Prisons, where I stayed for about seven more months, and then brought to Usher Fort for about a month or two. Afterwards, I was freed. I was happy to be freed because the experience was bad.”
“They gave me severe beatings, and fortunately, they saw Kweku Baako in my house, arrested him, and started shooting in the house. At that time, my wife, who was then my girlfriend, and we were getting closer to marriage had a miscarriage there and then because of the way they were shooting around. They carried myself and Kweku Baako back to Accra and put us in custody just because he was my friend and had been kept in my house,” Mr. Blay further narrated.
When asked if he was informed about the crime Kweku Baako had committed, the former NPP chairman replied, “No.”
Despite the trauma he experienced, Blay’s ambition in politics remained strong, and he worked hard to become one of the most renowned politicians in Ghana.
Freddie Blay assumed the role of NPP chairman in 2018.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Opoku–Ahweneeh Danquah, has underlined that the true measure of the Corporation’s success lies in the extent to which its endeavors benefit the people of Ghana.
Addressing attendees at the graduation ceremony organized by the GNPC Foundation for 166 artisans who received training and certification under its ‘Skilled Artisans Project’, Danquah underscored the corporation’s dedication to empowering Ghanaians by providing tangible opportunities for skill development and economic self-sufficiency.
He emphasized that while GNPC’s core function revolves around petroleum exploration and production, its broader mandate includes promoting sustainable socio-economic development for all Ghanaians.
“This graduation ceremony is not just a culmination of training programs; it is a testament to GNPC’s unwavering dedication to empowering our people,” Danquah remarked.
He added: “We firmly believe that a fundamental goal of our business is to uplift and empower Ghanaians, ensuring that they have the tools and resources to thrive in an ever-evolving economic landscape.”
The event, organized as part of GNPC’s esteemed livelihood empowerment program, provided a platform to honor the achievements of 166 artisans who had completed intensive training in diverse vocational fields.
Covering disciplines such as tailoring, welding, electronics, and carpentry, among others, these artisans not only acquired new skills but also emerged with a revitalized sense of purpose and determination.
During his speech, the CEO of GNPC highlighted the significant impact of skills development in enhancing individual prosperity and driving national advancement. He stressed the importance of equipping Ghanaians with practical skills tailored to meet market demands, thereby fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation across various sectors of the economy.
“By investing in skills development and entrepreneurship, we are not only empowering individuals to secure their livelihoods but also laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth and social cohesion,” he stressed
Dr. Dominic Kwesi Eduah, the Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation, emphasized significant milestones reached since the project’s launch in 2018.
He noted that over 2000 young people from various regions have benefitted from the project, receiving certifications from the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI). These certifications have empowered them to establish their own businesses and enhanced their employability prospects.
“Our foundation is built on the belief that every individual possesses untapped potential waiting to be unleashed and with initiatives like this, we aim to unlock that potential and empower Ghanaian youth to become agents of change in their communities,” he concluded.
Echoing similar sentiments, Freddie Blay, Board Chairman of GNPC, emphasized the pivotal role of artisanal skills in driving economic growth and urged the graduates to seize the opportunities before them.
Embarking on a journey of entrepreneurship armed with the tools and knowledge to succeed, he further charged the youth to be guided by passion and determination as they carve out their path to be coming contributors to Ghana’s development.
The Akwamumanhene, Odeneho Kwaffo Akoto III, who was chairman for the occasion, in a brief remark, urged the graduands to make proper use of the tools and admonished them to be worthy ambassadors of GNPC.
Other notable figures in attendance were Hon Seth Acheampong, the Eastern Regional Minister, and Isaac Apaw Gyasi, the MCE for New Juaben South, underscoring the collaborative effort between GNPC and local government authorities in driving development initiatives.
Their words of encouragement and support further bolstered the graduates’ confidence as they embarked on their entrepreneurial journeys.
From sewing machines and welding equipment to diagnostic machines and gas stoves among others, and in an atmosphere imbued with a sense of optimism and possibility, each artisan received tools relevant to their area of expertise, with each tool symbolizing not just a means of livelihood but also a tangible manifestation of GNPC’s commitment to empowering Ghanaians and nurturing the growth and prosperity of Ghana’s artisanal workforce.
A former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has described Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as “a man of his own.”
Weighing in on the Vice President’s candidacy, Mr Blay indicated that Dr Bawumia, despite belonging to a political party, is an independent figure with a unique standing and leadership style.
Mr Blay emphasized that Dr. Bawumia is poised to convey this sense of individuality and autonomy if given the nod as President.
He made the remarks in the lead up to the Vice President’s February 7, 2024 address to the nation.
“Bawumia is going to tell the whole world, particularly Ghanaians and party men, that he is his own man. For he himself is telling you that we are in a pack, he’s part of a team but he’s different,” he noted.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has praised the Akufo-Addo-led administration for its anti-corruption efforts.
While acknowledging the pervasive global nature of corruption, Mr Blay commended the government’s commitment to combat the issue through effective policies and institutional measures.
In a discussion on the January 14 edition of Hot Issues with Keminni Amanor, Blay highlighted the importance of policies and institutions in the fight against corruption.
He pointed out the significant efforts made by the Akufo-Addo administration, emphasizing the empowerment of the Police and Judiciary, along with initiatives like digitalization.
Blay’s remarks came in response to concerns raised by former Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, who stated during the Constitution Day Public Lecture that institutions tasked with fighting corruption are not doing enough.
Afari-Gyan expressed worry about the impact of corruption on the nation, emphasizing the need for measures to curb the menace.
While acknowledging the detrimental effects of corruption on the economy, Blay noted its global prevalence and stressed that the Akufo-Addo government has put in more effort than any other administration in the fight against corruption.
Former National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has acknowledged the detrimental impact of corruption on the economy while emphasizing its global prevalence, stating that Ghana is not an exception.
In an interview on Hot Issues with Keminni Amanor, Blay expressed concern about corruption’s pervasive and harmful nature, noting that approximately a third of Ghana’s GDP is lost to corruption.
He highlighted the risk of people losing confidence in the economy, resorting to improper means to circumvent systems and evade taxes.
Responding to former Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan’s statement about public institutions not doing enough to combat corruption, Blay disagreed with the assertion that Ghana has become poorer due to corruption.
He emphasized that while corruption is a challenge that needs to be addressed, the country is not poorer and is progressing toward middle-income status.
Blay commended the efforts of the Akufo-Addo-led administration in fighting corruption, citing policies and institutions such as digitalization, empowered police, and the judiciary as effective measures.
“The government of Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, so far as I am concerned, has put in more efforts under the third and fourth republic, to fight corruption than any other government that I can think of,” he stated.
Mr Blay stressed the importance of institutions and policies in the fight against corruption and highlighted the government’s commitment to empowering law enforcement and judicial bodies.
Former NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay has responded to ex-President John Mahama’s claims that Nana Akufo-Addo appointed NPP-leaning judges.
Blay cited the NDC’s historical judicial appointments and stated that Mahama lacks the moral authority to accuse Akufo-Addo. Mahama had suggested appointing NDC-aligned judges if elected in 2024.
Blay pointed out that NDC members have previously moved into judicial roles, making Mahama’s allegations unfounded. He emphasized that he has been active in politics for a significant period.
I was in parliament when somebody who was a member of parliament for the NDC after he was butchered out of parliament, he applied and he joined the judiciary, he is still a member of the NDC,” he said.
The former National Chairman also cited examples of judges he believes hold affiliations with the NDC, suggesting that the practice is not unique to the NPP.“There is a Dormaa High Court judge, solidly, he speaks for the NDC.
All his utterances indicate that he supports the NDC.“That is not all, I knew a man who is now on retirement.
I don’t want to mention names here,” he stated. For him, there are many Ghanaians with strong moral standing who have sought positions within the judiciary.“I am saying that there are quite a number of individuals, Ghanaians, who have indicated that they want to enter the bar.
They are not criminals, they are people of integrity based on which they have been promoted to the bench,” he added.
The Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, has revealed that he has discontinued his efforts to propose an equal split of the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary, Jubilee Oil Holdings Ltd, to PetroSA.
Blay stated that this decision was made in response to a directive issued by the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh.
“As I talk to you now, I have ceased and I have desisted in accordance and with directives of my supervising minister,” he said in an interview with JoyNews on Saturday, May 26.
He refuted any allegations of misconduct in relation to his offer of interest in Ghana’s oil fields to a South African oil company while asserting that he acted in the best interest of the country.
He maintained that his decision was a result of careful consideration and exercised good judgment throughout the process hence sees no justification for calls demanding his resignation.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong.
“I have observed my conscience and I thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about it and if others think otherwise, and if those who appointed me are saying otherwise, then so be it,” he said in an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, May 23.
Already, some 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have also demanded the removal of the two.
The CSOs, made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and 26 others, say the two men have “become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector.”
In a statement endorsed by representatives from all 29 CSOs and sighted by JoyNews, the coalition argued that a country being micromanaged by the IMF cannot be seen to be engaging in fiscal recklessness.
The group is also demanding complete information on the AFC transaction and the actual amount that would constitute petroleum cost and the immediate closure of the Aker PoD from the Petroleum Commission and Government.”
Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, has described as “regrettable and unfortunate” the calls for his dismissal by some Civil Society Organisations.
About 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) want the Board Chair sacked over his decision to sell a 50% stake in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) to PetroSA.
In response, Mr Blay noted that the issue has been misconstrued and lack of interest to verify information by the CSOs has led to misinformation of the public.
“CSOs are expected to protect the interests and rights of civil society, seek the public good, and prioritize national interest. However, instead of seeking the facts and acting responsibly, these 29 CSOs have hastily engaged in this matter and have chosen to misinform the public, driven by ulterior motives and vested interests,” Mr Blay further added, emphasizing his disappointment.
He asserted his right to pursue legal action against these organizations and anyone involved in what he described as a malicious campaign aimed at damaging his name and reputation.
“I have taken due note of the libellous statements against me by my detractors including the said CSOs, and reserve the right to take legal action against these organizations and anyone engaged in this diabolic exercise of destroying my name and reputation.”
The call for Mr Blay’s resignation comes in the wake of GNPC’s intention to sell a 50% stake in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) to PetroSA, despite the substantial revenue potential this interest holds for the state.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, May 23, the Coordinator for the coalition, Abdul Karim Mohammed said the continuous presence of Mr Blay and Mr Ahweneeh Danquah, closely associated with petroleum operations, poses significant risks to Ghana’s interests.
The CSOs are made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC), Imani Centre for Policy and Education and 25 others.
The CSOs also accused the two men of working against the interest of the state.
But Mr Blay claims the allegations surrounding the supposed “surreptitious,” “clandestine,” and “scandalous” sale of so-called GNPC shares are unequivocally false.
“There is no intention by GNPC or me as its Chairman, to divest 7% shareholding in JOHL nor has there been any claim by PetroSA to acquire shareholding interests in JOHL. Such claims can only stem from an uninformed and malevolent mind.”
Below are details of Mr Freddie Blay’s statement
PRESS RELEASE RE: “PRE-EMPTION OF JOHL ACQUISITION OF ANADARKO INTEREST”
Recently, Ghana’s media landscape has been inundated with unfounded and malicious allegations surrounding Freddie Blay, the Chairman of GNPC. These baseless claims, propagated through statements attributed to a purported group of 29 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), have gone so far as to demand my resignation as Board Chairman.
My detractors, without verifying the facts with GNPC, make baseless claims suggesting my involvement in a supposed “scandalous” transaction aimed at offloading 50% of GNPC’s existing stake in the Deepwater Tano Contract Area (DWT). Furthermore, they assert that this action constitutes a divestment of the State’s beneficial interest.
Interestingly, there are others who assert, quite sadly, that they have uncovered a secretive and covert endeavour by GNPC and its board chairman to sell the 7% shares acquired by the Republic of Ghana from Anadarko West Cape Three Points Company (Anadarko) to Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (Petro SA). To present the truth, I provide the following information for those seeking accurate insight.
Sale and Divestment of 7% “Shares” Acquired from Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited (JOHL)
Ghana is a country of law, and there are laws and procedures governing the sale and transfer of shares, under Ghana’s Companies Act 2019 (Act 992), even for private companies. I encourage all my accusers, and the public to Google “what is the procedure for share transfers in Ghana”, educate themselves, and draw their own conclusions on the veracity or duplicity of the allegations. Shares of a company are not a pack of cigarettes anyone, and for that matter, the Chairman of GNPC can keep in his or her pocket and vend by the street!
The allegations surrounding the supposed “surreptitious,” “clandestine,” and “scandalous” sale of so called GNPC shares are unequivocally false. There is no intention by GNPC or me as its Chairman, to divest 7% shareholding in JOHL nor has there been any claim by PetroSA to acquire shareholding interests in JOHL. Such claims can only stem from an uninformed and malevolent mind.
The Matter of The Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (“PetroSA”)
In March 2006, the Government of the Republic of Ghana (“The State”) represented by the Minister for Energy (“Minister”), the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (“GNPC”), executed a Petroleum Agreement (“PA)” in respect of the Deepwater Tano Contract Area (“DWT”), with Tullow Ghana Limited (“Tullow”), Sabre Oil and Gas Limited (“Sabre”), Kosmos Energy Ghana HC (“Kosmos”) and Anadarko Offshore Holding Company, LLC (“AOHC”). These companies are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Contractor”. GNPC as is mandatory in the PA holds a 10% carried interest in DWT.
PetroSA, in July 2012 completed the acquisition of the shares of Sabre after receiving the consent of the Minister of Energy, the Honourable Joe Oteng-Adjei, earlier in February of the same year. By the acquisition of the assets and liabilities of Sabre, PetroSA legally assumed the equity interests of Saber as a Contractor in the PA relating to the DWT.
Specifically, PetroSA bought out Sabre’s interest in three assets i.e., the producing Jubilee field (1.7%), the Deepwater Tano Block at (4.05%), and the West Cape Three Points Block at (1.854%). Also, and by virtue of becoming a Contractor under the PA, PetroSA also, became a party in the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) relating to the DWT.
As a party to the DWT JOA, PetroSA like all other parties in the Agreement, is entitled to the benefits and rights granted in the said agreement. This includes the ability to exercise a right to pre-empt any divestments to any unidentified third party for any intended transfers of all or a portion of and Participating Interests, whether directly or indirectly by assignment, merger, consolidation, or sale of stock or shares or other conveyance.
In 2021, AOHC created and incorporated a new Company i.e., Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited (“JOHL”), in Cayman Islands. JOHL, and Anadarko assigned to JOHL (“JOHL Transfers”) a 7% Participating Interest in the DWT JOA and a 5.95% interest in the DWT Petroleum Agreement. It also entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Kosmos Energy for the sale of Anardarko, and with the GNPC for the sale of JOHL.
Post the acquisition of JOHL by GNPC, after serving a notice to pre-empt rights to purchase the 7% Participating Interest in the DWT JOA currently held by JOHL, PetroSA has since engaged GNPC to acquire said Interests.
As a compromise solution, we have proposed the option of a 50:50 split of the 7% shares GNPC was holding. It is important to note that we have yet to outline specifics for the finality on the matter, and this compromise is subject to confirmation, and subsequent advice of the Minister. We are still in the stage of ongoing discussions.
GNPC’s doors remain wide open to all Civil Society Organizations and individuals alike. I extend an invitation to investigate and ascertain the facts before succumbing to orchestrated and futile frenzies.
The call for my resignation, as well as that of the CEO, in relation to this matter is deeply regrettable and unfortunate. CSOs are expected to protect the interests and rights of civil society, and seek the public good and national interest. Instead, the 29 CSOs that have called for my resignation, chose to engage hastily in this matter without seeking the facts, and rather misinform the public, in pursuit of ulterior motives and vested interest. This is detrimental to the public good, and the national interest.
I have taken due note of the libellous statements against me by my detractors including the said CSOs, and reserve the right to take legal action against these organizations and anyone engaged in this diabolic exercise of destroying my name and reputation.
FREDDIE WORSEMAO ARMAH BLAY CHAIRMAN
Dated: Thursday, 25 May 2023 for release to all Media Houses and Relevant Internet Portals
The Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has described calls for his head and that of the immediate of the Ag. CEO by some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as unfortunate.
According to Freddie Blay, the CSOs are in pursuit of an ulterior motive that is not in the best interest of the country.
His comment follows a press conference organized on Tuesday, May, 23, urging him and the acting CEO to be removed from post.
Among other things, the 29 CSOs had alleged that GNPC plans to sell a 50% stake in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL), which is a subsidiary of the GNPC to PetroSA, disregarding the significant revenue potential it holds for the state.
Again, the Board Chairman was accused of offering interest in Ghana’s oil fields to PetroSA.
They alleged that Mr Blay had written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited.
But rubbishing the claims, the former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) said GNPC is yet to outline the specifics for finality on the matter.
“….this compromise is subject to confirmation, and subsequent advice of the Minister. We are still in the stage of ongoing discussions,” a statement by Mr Blay added.
The GNPC boss said he is open to investigations on the issue so as to ascertain the facts without misinforming the public.
“GNPC’s doors remain wide open to all Civil Society Organizations and individuals alike. I extend an invitation to investigate and ascertain the facts before succumbing to orchestrated and futile frenzies.”
Mr Blay concluded by stressing that he has also taken note of the libellous statements made against him by his detractors including the CSOs.
He was emphatic that he “reserves the right to take legal action against these organisations and anyone engaged in this diabolic exercise of destroying my name and reputation.”
Find the full statement from Mr Freddie Blay below:
PRESS RELEASE
RE: “Pre-emption of Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited acquisition of Anardarko interest”
Recently, Ghana’s media landscape has been inundated with unfounded and malicious allegations surrounding Freddie Blay, the Chairman of GNPC.
These baseless claims propagated through statements attributed to a purported group of 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), have gone so far as to demand my resignation as Board Chairman.
My detractors, without verifying the facts with GNPC, make baseless claims suggesting my involvement in a supposed “scandalous” transaction aimed at offloading 50% of GNPC’s existing stake in the Deepwater Tano Contract Area (DWT). Furthermore, they assert that this action constitutes a divestment of the State’s beneficial interest.
Interestingly, there are others who assert, quite sadly, that they have uncovered a secretive and covert endeavour by GNPC and its board chairman to sell the 7% shares acquired by the Republic of Ghana from Anadarko West Cape Three Points Company (Anadarko) to Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (Petro SA). To present the truth, I provide the following information for those seeking accurate insight.
Sale and Divestment of 7% “Shares” Acquired from Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited (JOHL)
Ghana is a country of law, and there are laws and procedures governing the sale and transfer of shares, under Ghana’s Companies Act 2019 (Act 992), even for private companies. I encourage all my accusers, and the public to Google “what is the procedure for share transfers in Ghana”, educate themselves, and draw their own conclusions on the veracity or duplicity of the allegations. Shares of a company are not a pack of cigarettes anyone, and for that matter, the Chairman of GNPC can keep in his or her pocket and vend by the street!
The allegations surrounding the supposed “surreptitious,” “clandestine,” and “scandalous” sale of so called GNPC shares are unequivocally false. There is no intention by GNPC or me as its Chairman, to divest 7% shareholding in JOHL nor has there been any claim by PetroSA to acquire shareholding interests in JOHL. Such claims can only stem from an uninformed and malevolent mind.
The Matter of The Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (“PetroSA”)
In March 2006, the Government of the Republic of Ghana (“The State”) represented by the Minister for Energy (“Minister”), the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (“GNPC”), executed a Petroleum Agreement (“PA)” in respect of the Deepwater Tano Contract Area (“DWT”), with Tullow Ghana Limited (“Tullow”), Sabre Oil and Gas Limited (“Sabre”), Kosmos Energy Ghana HC (“Kosmos”) and Anadarko Offshore Holding Company, LLC (“AOHC”). These companies are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Contractor”. GNPC as is mandatory in the PA holds a 10% carried interest in DWT.
PetroSA, in July 2012 completed the acquisition of the shares of Sabre after receiving the consent of the Minister of Energy, the Honourable Joe Oteng-Adjei, earlier in February of the same year. By the acquisition of the assets and liabilities of Sabre, PetroSA legally assumed the equity interests of Saber as a Contractor in the PA relating to the DWT.
Specifically, PetroSA bought out Sabre’s interest in three assets i.e., the producing Jubilee field (1.7%), the Deepwater Tano Block at (4.05%), and the West Cape Three Points Block at (1.854%). Also, and by virtue of becoming a Contractor under the PA, PetroSA also, became a party in the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) relating to the DWT.
As a party to the DWT JOA, PetroSA like all other parties in the Agreement, is entitled to the benefits and rights granted in the said agreement. This includes the ability to exercise a right to pre-empt any divestments to any unidentified third party for any intended transfers of all or a portion of and Participating Interests, whether directly or indirectly by assignment, merger, consolidation, or sale of stock or shares or other conveyance.
In 2021, AOHC created and incorporated a new Company i.e., Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited (“JOHL”), in Cayman Islands. JOHL, and Anadarko assigned to JOHL (“JOHL Transfers”) a 7% Participating Interest in the DWT JOA and a 5.95% interest in the DWT Petroleum Agreement. It also entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Kosmos Energy for the sale of Anardarko, and with the GNPC for the sale of JOHL.
Post the acquisition of JOHL by GNPC, after serving a notice to pre-empt rights to purchase the 7% Participating Interest in the DWT JOA currently held by JOHL, PetroSA has since engaged GNPC to acquire said Interests.
As a compromise solution, we have proposed the option of a 50:50 split of the 7% shares GNPC was holding. It is important to note that we have yet to outline specifics for the finality on the matter, and this compromise is subject to confirmation, and subsequent advice of the Minister. We are still in the stage of on-going discussions.
GNPC’s doors remain wide open to all Civil Society Organizations and individuals alike. I extend an invitation to investigate and ascertain the facts before succumbing to orchestrated and futile frenzies.
The call for my resignation, as well as that of the CEO, in relation to this matter is deeply regrettable and unfortunate. CSOs, are expected to protect the interests and rights of civil society, seek the public good and national interest. Instead, the 29 CSOs that have called for my resignation, chose to engage hastily in this matter without seeking the facts, and rather misinform the public, in pursuit of ulterior motives and a vested interest. This is detrimental to the public good, and the national interest.
I have taken due note of the libellous statements against me by my detractors including the said CSOs, and reserve the right to take legal action against these organizations and anyone engaged in this diabolic exercise of destroying my name and reputation.
FREDDIE WORSEMAO ARMAH BLAY
CHAIRMAN
Dated: Thursday, 24 May 2023 for release to all Media Houses and Relevant Internet Portals
The Parliamentary Candidate for Ketu North, Eric Edem Agbana, who represents the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called for the dismissal of Freddie Blay, the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), and Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah, the acting Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Agbana expressed concerns that their prolonged tenure poses a significant threat to the existence of GNPC as the two have already been accused of masterminding activities that continue to put the country’s interest in the petroleum sector in jeopardy.
Agbana emphasized that President Akufo-Addo will face increasing pressure to take action and cannot evade responsibility in this matter.
“I think the president should show leadership and ensure that these two individuals are dealt with accordingly and as anti-campaigner we will keep watching what the president will do in this matter,” Mr Agbana said in an interview with TV3.
The GNPC Board Chairman is said to have written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary Jubilee Oil Holdings Ltd.
Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh is unenthused by the deal and wants it off the table, saying it does not favour the country.
Already, some 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have also demanded the removal of the two.
The CSOs, made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and 26 others, say the two men have “become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector.”
In a statement endorsed by representatives from all 29 CSOs and sighted by JoyNews, the coalition argued that a country being micromanaged by the IMF cannot be seen to be engaging in fiscal recklessness.
The group is also demanding complete information on the AFC transaction and the actual amount that would constitute petroleum cost and the immediate closure of the Aker PoD from the Petroleum Commission and Government.”
Giving more details, the coalition said the recurring controversies surrounding Aker Energy and AGM operations in Ghana and the sale of 50% of Jubilee Oil Holding Limited’s interest in the Deepwater Tano block to PetroSA, are of great concern.
“In these difficult times, the nation needs prudent management of its resources to derive the fullest of benefits and bring relief to the suffering masses,” the statement added.
The Chairman of the Board of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, has denied any improper conduct in providing a stake in Ghana’s oil reserves to a South African oil business, Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA).
He says he acted in the best interest of the country.
According to the former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, he exercised good judgment in the matter.
He thus did not see any reason for demands for his resignation.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong.
“I have observed my conscience and I thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about it and if others think otherwise, and if those who appointed me are saying otherwise, then so be it,” he said in an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, May 23.
Mr Blay also revealed that he has spoken to President Akufo-Addo about the matter and he does not expect to be fired.
“I have spoken to the president about it, and we haven’t gotten to where he will ask for his job back. It is not about convincing the president, the law will speak for itself and the law will talk and there are few documents on the agreement,” he added.
Meanwhile, some 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are demanding the immediate removal of Mr. Blay as the Board Chairman, along with Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah, the Chief Executive of GNPC.
The CSOs, made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and 26 others, say the two men have “become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector”.
In a statement endorsed by representatives from all 29 CSOs and sighted by JoyNews, the coalition argued that a country being micromanaged by the IMF cannot be seen to be engaging in fiscal recklessness.
The group is also demanding complete information on the AFC transaction and the actual amount that would constitute petroleum cost and the immediate closure of the Aker PoD from the Petroleum Commission and Government.”
Giving more details, the coalition said the recurring controversies surrounding Aker Energy and AGM operations in Ghana and the sale of 50% of Jubilee Oil Holding Limited’s interest in the Deepwater Tano block to PetroSA, are of great concern.
“In these difficult times, the nation needs prudent management of its resources to derive the fullest of benefits and bring relief to the suffering masses,” the statement added.
The GNPC Board Chairman is said to have written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary Jubilee Oil Holdings Ltd.
Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh is unenthused by the deal and wants it off the table, saying it does not favour the country.
Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, has responded to a group ofCivil Society Organizations(CSOs) demanding that President Akufo-Addo urgently replaces him.
Blay, a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) chairman in an interview said he would rather be fired by the appointing authority than to resign.
He also confirmed having held talks with president Akufo-Addo over a May 16 stinging letter Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh wrote in respect of a planned sale of 50% shares of government’s stake in an oil field to South African firm, Petro SA.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong. I have observed my conscience and I thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about it and if others think otherwise and if those who appointed me are saying otherwise, then so be it.
“I have spoken to the president about it, and we haven’t gotten to where he will ask for his job back. It is not about convincing the president, the law will speak for itself and the law will talk and there are few documents on the agreement.”
Concern of CSOs
A group of 29 CSOs on Extractive Governance on May 23, 2023 called for the immediate dismissal of Freddie Blay and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah.
The calls came on the back of recent reports and documents indicating GNPC’s intention to sell 50% stake in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) in a deal with a South African oil company, PetroSA despite significant revenue potential this interest holds for the state.
Coordinator for the Economic Governance Platform,Abdul Karim Mohammedtold the press that the persistent involvement of such persons associated with such deals pose significant risk to Ghana’s stake and interest in the petroleum sector.
“We demand the immediate removal of GNPC’s CEO, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah and the Board Chairman, Freddie W. Blay from their respective positions as they have become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector”, he said.
Abdul Mohammed further noted that Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has vehemently opposed the decision by the GNPC Board Chairman [Freddie Blay] in offering interest in Ghana’s stake to PetroSA which is based in South Africa.
“It is a viable field, and it is giving us a lot of money if we allow this to go forward. What it means is that PetroSA will be entitled to 50 percent of the earnings from the field, whereas they have not had any role in developing the field to the point where it is now viable,” he explained.
“The information we have is that the Minister for Energy has objected to this transaction but the Chairman of GNPC Board is pushing this transaction to the extent that the Minister of Energy had written to the Jubilee House over this transaction,” the Coordinator added.
Meanwhile, documents in the media have suggested that Freddie Blay in his capacity as the GNPC Board Chairman is said to have written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary, Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited.
The move has since resulted in backlash from the CSOs made up of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC), Imani Centre for Policy and Education and 25 others.
Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has chastised the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, for deliberately refusing to adhere to his directive with regards to working with South African National Company (PetroSA).
In a letter dated October 28, 2022, to the GNPC Board Chair, the Energy Minister ordered that “the Corporation should cease any further negotiations with PetroSA on matters of PetroSA’s intended pre-emption of the JOHL stakes.”
“The stakes were acquired by the Government of Ghana with State funds. The Government of Ghana has informed the South African Government through their Minister responsible for Natural Resources and Energy in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the African Energy Week, 2022 in Cape Town that Ghana would not approve any pre-emption of the JOHL stakes” it continued.
But according to Dr Opoku Prempeh, Mr Freddie Blay ignored the wider interest of the government and Ghanaians and offered part of the Government acquired JOHL interest (7%) in the DWT to PETROSA.
This, he said was not well thought through as the implication could be losses to the state.
The President’s attention has also been drawn to the gross disrespect by the GNPC Board Chair.
In a letter to President Akufo-Addo, the Energy Minister wrote:
“The Chairman of the GNPC Board, in the letter under reference, is inviting PetroSA to preempt the 7% interest that was recently acquired by the Government of Ghana from Anadarko West Cape Three Points Company (“Anadarko”) and proposing an equal split of the Deep Water Tano (“DWT”) portion which would decrease the government’s interest.
“We wish to bring this action of the Chairman, which is in direct contravention of the Government of Ghana’s express directives on the subject matter, to the urgent attention of His Excellency the President,” parts of the letter dated May 16, 2023, which was addressed to the secretary of the president read.
As it stands now, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has directed Mr Freddie Blay to withdraw the offer presented to PetroSA.
“I direct that you cease and desist from any further flouting of the directives forthwith and withdraw the offer made to PetroSA in your letter of 23 April 2023 immediately,” the minister wrote in its letter to the GNPC Board Chair.
Read the letter NAPO wrote to Freddie Blay and President Akufo-Addo below:
A total of 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are championing an immediate dismissal campaign against the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay and its acting Chief Executive Officer, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah.
They accuse the duo of masterminding activities that continue to put the country’s interest in the petroleum sector in jeopardy.
The coalition cites the controversies surrounding Aker Energy and AGM operations in Ghana and the sale of 50% of Jubilee Oil Holding Limited’s interest in the Deepwater Tano block to PetroSA.
Already, Energy Minister Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh has accused the Board Chairman, Mr Blay of offering interest in Ghana’s oil fields to a South African oil company, Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA). He has instructed Mr Blay to rescind the offer.
“The Corporation should cease any further negotiations with PetroSA on matters of PetroSA’s intended pre-emption of the JOHL stakes.
“The stakes were acquired by the Government of Ghana with State funds. The Government of Ghana has informed the South African Government through their Minister responsible for Natural Resources and Energy in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the African Energy Week, 2022 in Cape Town that Ghana would not approve any pre-emption of the JOHL stakes”.
Amidst this revelation, Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and 26 others want the two men out of post.
Again, the group is also demanding complete information on the AFC transaction and the actual amount that would constitute petroleum cost and the immediate closure of the Aker PoD from the Petroleum Commission and Government.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the deputy minority leader in parliament, has submitted his nomination documents to run for the Ellembelle seat a fifth time.
After ousting the outgoing NPP Chairman Freddie Blay, who was then theConvention People’s Party‘s representative in Parliament, Armah-Kofi Buah first won the Ellembelle seat in 2008.
Speaking to Citi News after filling his nomination form at Ayinase which was marked with a massive float by supporters to the Ellembelle NDC office, Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said his motivation to contest the seat again is because the people want him to continue the good works he has been doing in the constituency.
“The last seven years of governance has been a disaster. Almost every development project we’ve tried has come to a stop. I believe that I have earned the right to be in a position to help the District to develop, so that is why I’m running again. Look at the enthusiasm and the support base and I believe the people of Ellembelle want me to continue the good works I have been doing, and I’m proud to serve them,“ he said.
Although two other persons have their posters in town to contest the sitting MP, the Ellembelle NDC constituency Chairman and other executives told Citi News they are supporting Armah-Kofi Buah because of how well he has changed the face of Ellembelle in a positive light since he became an MP.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, remains firm in his resolve to defend the three accomplices of Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
Madam Huang, together with her three accomplices, are currently on trial over their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM, Mr Blay noted that his firm has pledged to defend people “who have wrongly been accused of engaging in galamsey,” and hence does not understand the fuss about his decision to represent the accused illegal miners.
“Irrespective of the fact that we support the fight against galamsey, we can’t allow innocent people to go to jail over galamsey, hence, our decision to defend them,” he said. Additionally, he noted that he would be very hurt should President Akufo-Addo ask him to withdraw from defending the three accomplices in Aisha Huang’s case.
“In my law chambers, we have said to ourselves that we will defend those that will be accused wrongfully of doing galamsey,” he stressed.
Asked the Oyerepa FM journalist, Parker-Wilson, if he will be willing to recuse himself from the case should President Akufo-Addo ask him to do so on grounds that defending the accused persons is a compromise on the fight against galamsey, Mr Freddie Blay maintained that his clients were innocent.
He further noted that President Akufo-Addo, as an astute lawyer who is well vexed in the law, will not make such a request, knowing very well that the accused are innocent.
“I’ll be very disturbed (if the President asks me to withdraw from the case). Honestly, I wouldn’t be happy to hear that from the President because of the factors involved.
“He [President Akufo-Addo] respects people’s rights. Nana Addo is a champion of Human Rights at the same time that he is championing galamsey. It doesn’t mean that those who are not even involved should be arrested and looked up in jail,” he said.
“If the fact is that the accused persons are innocent, I don’t believe he will say I shouldn’t defend them.”
Meanwhile, Aisha Huang and her accomplices are still standing trial. They are in police custody, following various failed attempts of their lawyers to secure bail for them.’
While Aisha Huang is being defended in court by Lawyer Effah Dartey, her accomplices are being defended by lawyers from Mr Freddie Blay’s Law firm, including his very own daughter, Lucy Ekeleba Blay.
Opening up about how his firm, Blay and Associates, met his clients, he noted that “these three Chinese came to my office to seek my defence, so I appointed my daughter to handle their case.”
He further defended the decision of his law firm to represent the three accused in court, stressing that “I have committed no wrong by defending the four accomplices of Aisha Huang.”
Former New Juaben North Constituency Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Boateng-Agyemang, has lashed out at the party’s former National Chairman, Freddie Blay, over his involvement in the case of four foreign nationals facing trial for illegal mining activities.
Three Chinese nationals and a Vietnamese national are facing trial in Accra High Court as accomplices of alleged galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
During the trial on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, Lucy Ekeleba Blay announced in court that she was holding brief as counsel for the defence in the place of the former NPP National Chairman.
This has led to widespread criticism over the decision of Freddie Blay to represent the accused persons in the face of the government’s fight against galamsey.
Sharing such sentiments on Top FM’s Final Point hosted by Kwabena Owusu Agyemeng, the former constituency chairman accused Freddie Blay of making a mockery of the government’s fight against galamsey.
He thus called on Freddie Blay to render an apology for his actions and withdraw his services as counsel for the accused persons charged with engaging in illegal small-scale mining.
“How many people have had the opportunity of being a national chairman? And the benefits that you have got from the NPP as a party; from parliament as a second deputy speaker, as first deputy speaker and as a national chairman. God has been faithful to you. If he is listening to me now by tomorrow morning, he and his partners must issue a statement to apologise and withdraw from the case,” he said.
He emphasised that the fight against galamsey is a collective fight which requires every official to play a role and not be left to only the president to deal with.
“We need to address issues right; leadership is not only the presidency. Everyone has a role to play, so if we focus our expectations on one person, we have failed. That is why I allude that fighting galamsey is like fighting drug barons trading in cocaine,” he added.
Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go, and Zhang Zhipeng have been charged as accomplices of Aisha Huang who is also facing charges in a separate trial on galamsey charges.
However, for some critics, the former NPP national chairman’s representation of the accused persons is a decision that lacks discretion considering the fight against galamsey and its impact on Ghana’s water and forest bodies.
The son of NPP’s former chairman Freddie Blay tied the knot with the niece of former Education Minister Betty Mould-Iddrisu.
Kwaw Blay and Jasmine Kappia got married in a private ceremony over the weekend.
According to reports, the bride is a niece of Alhaji Idrissu Mahama, founding member of the NDC and his wife Betty Mould-Iddrisu.
The couple reportedly cared for Jasmine Kappia during her high school days and with her father based in USA, Mrs Mould-Iddrisu and her husband hosted the ceremony in place of her parents.
The white-themed event saw close friends and family of Kwaw Blay and Jasmine Kappia in attendance.
The mother of the groom and Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany, Gina Blay, took to Twitter to share photos from the event.
According to Freddie Blay, a former national chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, the only time he will withdraw from representing the four accomplices on trial alongside the embattled galamsey “kingpin,” Aisha Huang, is if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo requests it.
He said it will be a difficult decision to make, but that it is the only one that will compel him to redesign his legal firm’s representation of the conspirators.
In previous interviews, the former deputy speaker of parliament has firmly maintained that the prosecution of the four (three Chinese and a Vietnamese person) is an error and that they are innocent.
In his view, his “clients are good people and are not involved in illegal mining.”
Freddie Blay insisted that, as a lawyer, he has every right to defend persons who have been accused falsely, arguing that he has done no wrong in mounting a defense for his clients because he has sworn an oath to defend them.
“I will not be happy if he (the President) asks me to do so but I will painfully ask my law firm to abandon its defense for them. But I am sure if I give him the facts as it pertains, he will not ask of me to do so. But if he insists, out of respect and out of reverence for him, I will consider that seriously,” he said.
Freddie Blay’s response was to a question the host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV’s morning show, Kwesi Parker-Wilson, monitored by GhanaWeb, asked him in relation to the case of his clients.
The former Member of Parliament for the Elembelle constituency further said that the Attorney General, Godfred Dame, hasn’t been allowed to listen to his clients yet, which is unfortunate.
“The AG is not seized with the full facts and he may have been misled, so until the trial begins, we will know whether my clients are involved in galamsey,” he added.
He also cautioned against the indiscriminate arrest of Chinese foreign nationals all in the name of galamsey.
He also disclosed that there have been some members of his party, the NPP, who have cautioned him against proceeding with the case, but he has refused to, arguing that he is only doing his job as a lawyer.
“A couple of my party members are not happy with me and they have called me and have asked me to stay away from the case but as a lawyer, I have sworn an oath to defend accused persons so I must hold on to it,” he explained.
Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress, Abraham Amaliba has advised the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Freddie Blay to recuse himself from defending Chinese illegal miners in court.
The former Chairman is representing some Chinese nationals standing trial for their alleged involvement in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey in the country.
Critics say Mr. Blay’s move defeats the government’s effort in fighting the menace which has left many water bodies and forest reserves destroyed.
Commenting on the issue on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, the NDC’s legal director indicated that Mr. Blay should not be seen as compounding issues for the government as it wages war against the galamsey menace.
“So for the sake of the people of this country who are also fighting the galamsey menace,let me not involve myself in the matter. Sometimes your conscience should tell you what you should do.
“What has even compounded the issue is that in this whole saga of galamsey, the government officials have been fingered to be engaging in it. That is a new dimension.
“Our fight against galamsey, we are now seeing that names of appointees have been mentioned. Then you (Freddie Blay) compound the problem for the government by defending those who have been mentioned as accomplices,” Mr. Amaliba stated.
He continued: “I think he is a senior lawyer, it is not always that you follow money. He will get his money alright but his image will be tarnished.
“I have done similar cases and where I feel that the people see my services will create the wrong impression I’ve given those cases to colleagues, who are not in the same situation that I find myself.”
The NDC legal director further added that Mr. Blay should hand over the case to any of his lawyers who are not connected to the NPP to handle it.
“Don’t forget Nkrabea Effah is also there as a lawyer and you are also there as lawyer and the government officials have been fingered as contributing to the menace,” he said.
A former national chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, says his law firm is ready to defend the four accomplices of Aisha Huang because they are innocent.
He said they have no reason to believe or act otherwise, adding that the four Chinese nationals deserve full legal representation in court.
“They came to instruct us and we as professionals, we have sworn an oath to defend our clients to the best of our knowledge and ability and that is exactly what we are doing in accordance with the Constitution of this country.
“They are not guilty. They’ve been brought before the court, they’ve pleaded not guilty and are being defended,” Mr Blay said in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday.
According to him, the four accused persons may have a relationship with Aisha Huang because in 2017 they bought a supermarket from her.
That, in any way, does not suggest they are illegal miners and should not have fair legal representation or defence, Mr Blay stressed.
“Our firm is defending these clients; they’ve told us their story. Maybe the prosecution has been told some other story and that is why we are before the court to defend them,” he added.
“We are a firm of lawyers, we take our instructions from our clients based on the story they’ve told us which we have no reason to believe otherwise.”
He clapped back at critics who say his decision to defend the accused persons defeats government’s fight against ‘galamsey’.
“I don’t know whether you are saying that at a time like this when people are accused or arraigned before court, they should not be entitled to any defence,” he retorted.
NPP justification
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has justified the decision by its former national chairman, Freddie Blay, to defend four accomplices of ‘galamsey’ queen Aisha Hunag in court.
According to the Communications Director, Richard Ahiagbah, people’s political affiliations should not deny anyone the right to justice and fair representation in court.
“I don’t think there would be any miscarriage of justice because the lawyers in the case are NPP related or have affiliation with the New Patriotic Party.
The idea is that every client deserves a representation; our laws allow for that so the clients have exercised their right to have a legal representation,” he told JoyNews in an interview.
What happened?
A feeling of surprise erupted in the Criminal Court 5 on Tuesday when it was announced that former NPP National Chairman Freddie Blay will be representing four accomplices of Aisha Huang who are being held by the state for their involvement in illegal mining.
Lucy Ekeleba Blay, a private legal practitioner, announced in court that she was holding brief for Freddy Blay in the case of the four accomplices of Aisha Huang namely; Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng.
Aisha Huang herself is being represented by NPP stalwart, Nkrabea Effah Dartey.
This move by Mr Blay has sparked discussions among the public as many say it suggests a lack of principles and defeats government’s fight against the canker.
“Those [lawyers] happen to be people affiliated with the NPP; I don’t think that necessarily changes the rules of the court… I think that we should pay attention and see that the due process is occasioned and the outcome is fair to our country,” Richard Ahiagbah noted.
The High Court, on Tuesday, denied two applications for bail by lawyers for the Chinese illegal mining kingpin.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, and the Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, were in court to lead government’s efforts in prosecuting Aisha Huang and others being held for illegal mining.
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay says he has no challenges defending the four accomplices of Aisha Huang via his law firm.
He says he feels good about it because it indicates that there is rule of law in the country. He was speaking on Accra-based Joy FM.
Meanhwile, Blay & Associates, the law firm belong to former National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay, has explained its decision to defend four accomplices of Aisha Huang, who was arrested for her alleged involvement in illegal small-scale mining, in court.
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.”
The immediate past national chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Freddie Blay, has expressed shock at the backlash he and his firm has received because of their decision to defend some foreign nationals standing trial for alleged illegal mining offences.
Law firm Blay and Associates is the law firm defending the four accomplices of En Huang, popularly known as Aisha Huang, who has been charged with the others for engaging in illegal mining activities in Ghana.
The decision of Mr Blay’s firm to defend these foreign nationals, when his party and government is battling an ongoing galamsey menace has raised eyebrows but the astute lawyer in a radio interview said every accused person is entitled to legal representation.
Mr Blay who is a stalwart of the NPP due to his immediate past position says it is rather unfortunate that he has been subjected to attacks.
Speaking to Joy FM on Wednesday, October 12, Mr Blay said, “My clients are not guilty; we’ve sworn an oath to defend them.
They came to instruct us and we as professionals, we have sworn an oath to defend our clients to the best of our knowledge and ability and that is exactly what we are doing in accordance with the Constitution of this country.
“They are not guilty. They’ve been brought before the court, they’ve pleaded not guilty and are being defended,” Mr Blay said as quoted by Graphiconline.
According to him, the four accused persons may have a relationship with Aisha Huang because in 2017 they bought a supermarket from her.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame has assured Ghanaians that his outfit will not relent in its effort to prosecute all illegal miners in the country, adding that, for Aisha Huang, who has gained notoriety for the galamsey trade she will pay for both her past and present offences.
Godfred Dame was speaking to the press after the now-famous galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang was denied bail on Tuesday, October 11.
“In respect of Aisha Huang, we have filed most of the documents we will rely on. We have filed witness statements with four witnesses, we need about four more. But the Judge in her discretion decided to adjourn to 24th October for us to come and conduct the case management conference and we are ready to conduct the trial on a day by day basis and the Judge has also indicated the inclination to conduct the trial in that manner. So we are happy with the progress of the matter. And it is important to indicate to the world our full commitment to prosecute all these illegal mining offences. It is something that is of utmost importance to the nation.”
Aisha Huang, a Chinese national, previously deported/repatriated for dealing in illegal mining in 2018 was re-arrested this year.
She is currently standing trial with three other Chinese nationals for mining without a license and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals.
All three were remanded into the custody of the National Investigation Bureau pending the final determination of their case.
Chinese National En Huang, popularly known in Ghana as Aisha Huang who is standing trial for engaging in galamsey, and her four accomplices will continue to be in custody after the trial judge, Her Ladyship Lydia Osei Marfo, refused a bail application made by the lawyers for the accused.
Aisha Huang, Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng were remanded into the custody of the National Investigation Bureau pending the final determination of their case on November 24, 2022.
In court on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, when Aisha Huang’s lawyer who is also a one-time Presidential candidate for the governing NPP, Captain Nkrabea Effah Dartey, rose to move an application for bail, the trial judge quickly stopped him and indicated that she will still refuse the application for bail.
“My mind has not changed; you can make the application and I’ll still refuse you,” Her Ladyship Lydia Osei Marfo told Nkrabea Effah Dartey.
Also, the judge refused a similar application made on behalf of the four others who are now being represented by a former NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay.
Lucy Ekeleba Blay, a private legal practitioner, said she was holding brief for Freddie Blay in the case of the four accomplices in the persons of Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng.
“These people are foreigners, we do not have sufficient financial or social ties within the jurisdiction of this court and as we know, in this country people usually do not need any passport to exit if they are minded to leave and considering the severity of the punishment the accused persons will suffer if found guilty. I have a sufficient belief that when granted bail, they will not appear before the court to stand trial,” Her Ladyship Lydia Osei Marfo stressed.
The plea of three of the accused persons has been taken with that of the last deferred due to the unavailability of a Vietnamese translator.
Meanwhile, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General, indicated to the court the state’s readiness to expeditiously dispose off the case and will be willing to try the case on a day-after-day basis.
He observed that the judge superintending over the case has “also indicated his inclination to conduct the case in that manner.”
“In respect of Aisha Huang, we have filed most of the documents to be relied on, we have filed witness statements of four witnesses. We only need to fill about four more,” Dame added.
In my candid opinion, former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Freddie Blay’s law firm should not have accepted to defend accused persons in the ongoing illegal mining case pending before the Accra High Court, Mr Obiri Boahen, a former General Secretary of the NPP has said.
In a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Okay FM on Wednesday morning, Nana Obiri Boahen said Mr Blay’s firm should have allowed other lawyers to stand in for the accused persons.
On Tuesday in court, Lucy Ekeleba Blay, a private legal practitioner, told the court that she was holding brief for Mr Freddy Blay in the case of the four accomplices of En Huang, popularly known as Aisha Huang, who has been charged with the others for engaging illegal mining activities in Ghana.
The four accomplices are Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng.
Mr Freddie Blay is the lead counsel for the firm in which Lucy Ekeleba Blay works.
Already, Mr Blay has clarified that he is not the one who is personally handling the case but confirms that it is the law firm he belongs to that is handling the case.
The governing NewPatrioticParty, NPP, is of the view that justice will be served in the matter involving the state versus Aisha Huang and four others in a case involving illegal small-scale mining activities.
This according to the party is despite the fact that lawyers affiliated with it are representing the accused persons.
Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM, the party’s Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah maintained that the court will at all times deal with evidence put before it by parties to the case.
He contended further that it was within the right of an accused person to get legal representation in court and consequently it was also right for the NPP-affiliated lawyers to render professional services to such persons.
“If it is a matter of conscience then we should say that there shouldn’t be legal representation for criminals or for somebody who has killed somebody or is alleged to have killed somebody. As conscience will dictate, we should all abhor such behavior and therefore no lawyer as matter of conscience should want to defend any such act
“I don’t think there will be any miscarriage of justice because the lawyers in the case are NPP related or have affiliations with the New Patriotic Party. The idea is that every client deserves a representation.
“Our laws allows for that, so the client have exercised their right to have legal representation and those happens to be people affiliated with the NPP. I don’t think that necessarily changes the rules of the court which is evidence,” Ahiagbah said.
It emerged that former NPP Chairman, Freddie Blay, is the main lawyer for Aisha Huang’s accomplices namely Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng, in the prosecution.
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 Aisha Huang.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Godfred Dame has indicated his readiness to fast-track the prosecution of Aisha Huang for her past and previous crimes.
Ms. Huang and her accomplices have been remanded into custody until November 24, 2022 following the judge’s refusal to grant them bail.
A former national chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, says his law firm is ready to defend the four accomplices of Aisha Huang because they are innocent.
He said they have no reason to believe or act otherwise, adding that the four Chinese nationals deserve full legal representation in court.
“They came to instruct us and we as professionals, we have sworn an oath to defend our clients to the best of our knowledge and ability and that is exactly what we are doing in accordance with the Constitution of this country.
“They are not guilty. They’ve been brought before the court, they’ve pleaded not guilty and are being defended,” Mr Blay said in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday.
According to him, the four accused persons may have a relationship with Aisha Huang because in 2017 they bought a supermarket from her.
That, in any way, does not suggest they are illegal miners and should not have fair legal representation or defence, Mr Blay stressed.
“Our firm is defending these clients; they’ve told us their story. Maybe the prosecution has been told some other story and that is why we are before the court to defend them,” he added.
“We are a firm of lawyers, we take our instructions from our clients based on the story they’ve told us which we have no reason to believe otherwise.”
“I don’t know whether you are saying that at a time like this when people are accused or arraigned before court, they should not be entitled to any defence,” he retorted.
NPP justification
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has justified the decision by its former national chairman, Freddie Blay, to defend four accomplices of ‘galamsey’ queen Aisha Hunag in court.
According to the Communications Director, Richard Ahiagbah, people’s political affiliations should not deny anyone the right to justice and fair representation in court.
“I don’t think there would be any miscarriage of justice because the lawyers in the case are NPP related or have affiliation with the New Patriotic Party.
The idea is that every client deserves a representation; our laws allow for that so the clients have exercised their right to have a legal representation,” he told JoyNews in an interview.
What happened?
A feeling of surprise erupted in the Criminal Court 5 on Tuesday when it was announced that former NPP National Chairman Freddie Blay will be representing four accomplices of Aisha Huang who are being held by the state for their involvement in illegal mining.
Lucy Ekeleba Blay, a private legal practitioner, announced in court that she was holding brief for Freddy Blay in the case of the four accomplices of Aisha Huang namely; Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng.
Aisha Huang herself is being represented by NPP stalwart, Nkrabea Effah Dartey.
This move by Mr Blay has sparked discussions among the public as many say it suggests a lack of principles and defeats government’s fight against the canker.
“Those [lawyers] happen to be people affiliated with the NPP; I don’t think that necessarily changes the rules of the court… I think that we should pay attention and see that the due process is occasioned and the outcome is fair to our country,” Richard Ahiagbah noted.
The High Court, on Tuesday, denied two applications for bail by lawyers for the Chinese illegal mining kingpin.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Dame, and the Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, were in court to lead government’s efforts in prosecuting Aisha Huang and others being held for illegal mining.
The four accomplices; Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng together with the ‘galamsey’ queen, Aisha Huang are being held by the state for their involvement in illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ in the country.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, Mr. Adib Sani stated that Mr. Blay’s acceptance to defend the accomplices is only “indicative of his lack of principles.”
His assertion is in connection with an announcement that former NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay, will be representing four accomplices of ‘galamsey’ queen Aisha Huang.
Lucy Ekeleba Blay, a private legal practitioner, announced in court on Tuesday that she was holding brief for Freddy Blay in the case of the four accomplices of Aisha Huang.
Mr. Adib Sani said although, Mr. Blay is not doing anything wrong legally, he believes it is a wrong move strategically.
According to him, the offer should have been turned down by the lawyer in as much as “man must feed.”
“As a businessman, there are sometimes some jobs that will come, even though you are looking for the money, as a matter of principle, you turn it down considering the controversial nature of the issue, the attention it has garnered locally and internationally, the pain it has caused Ghanaians, particularly those in the mining communities,” he insisted.
Mr. Sani noted that this development may add to the public’s perception that there are powerful forces in the country behind ‘galamsey.’
Meanwhile, Aisha Huang herself is being represented by NPP stalwart, Nkrabea Effah Dartey.
Aisha Huang, the galamsey kingpin, and her four accomplices will continue to be in custody after the trial judge, Her Ladyship Lydia Osei Marfo, refused a bail application made by the lawyers for the accused.
Aisha Huang, Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng were remanded into the custody of the National Investigation Bureau pending the final determination of their case on November 24, 2022.
In court on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, when Aisha Huang’s lawyer who is also a one-time Presidential candidate for the governing NPP, Captain Nkrabea Effah Dartey, rose to move an application for bail, the trial judge quickly stopped him and indicated that she will still refuse the application for bail.
“My mind has not changed; you can make the application and I’ll still refuse you,” Her Ladyship Lydia Osei Marfo told Nkrabea Effah Dartey.
Also, the judge refused a similar application made on behalf of the four others who are now being represented by a former NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay.
Lucy Ekeleba Blay, a private legal practitioner, said she was holding brief for Freddie Blay in the case of the four accomplices in the persons of Gao Jin Cheng, Lu Qi Jun, Haibin Go and Zhang Zhipeng.
“These people are foreigners, we do not have sufficient financial or social ties within the jurisdiction of this court and as we know, in this country people usually do not need any passport to exit if they are minded to leave and considering the severity of the punishment the accused persons will suffer if found guilty. I have a sufficient belief that when granted bail, they will not appear before the court to stand trial,” Her Ladyship Lydia Osei Marfo stressed.
The plea of three of the accused persons has been taken with that of the last deferred due to the unavailability of a Vietnamese translator.
Meanwhile, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General, indicated to the court the state’s readiness to expeditiously dispose off the case and will be willing to try the case on a day-after-day basis.
He observed that the judge superintending over the case has “also indicated his inclination to conduct the case in that manner.”
“In respect of Aisha Huang, we have filed most of the documents to be relied on, we have filed witness statements of four witnesses. We only need to fill about four more,” Dame added.
Call it an inter-political union, and you’d be close to correct. Families are connected through marriage, adoption, or blood relations.
Inter and intra-tribal marriages in Ghana are very common. Intra-political marriages are also common but inter-political marriages are somewhat rare in Ghana.
Usually, public exchanges on politicsoften get very heated and followers of the political parties seem not to see eye to eye but behind the public sphere, after the radio and TV arguments, politicians in and of themselves are good friends who wine and dine together.
Over the weekend, two young love birds whose families are ‘politically opposed’ tied the knot in a private ceremony in Accra.
The two, Kwaw Blay, the son of the former New Patriotic Party, NPP, National Chairman, Freddie Blay married Jasmine, who is also niece to Betty Mould Iddrisu, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
The ceremony was attended by members of both families. In some photos shared on social media, the families appeared excited about the young couple.
Mother of the groom, Gina Blay, who is also Ghana’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, in a tweet, shared photos of the two families with smiles and wrote “and they shall become One! Kwaw & Jasmine Blay.”
This is not the first there has been an inter-political marriage in the country. In April 2021, Chief Biney, Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, married his sweetheart, Afia Akoto the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the MASLOC.
Biney is quoted to have stated that he is in a political position to serve for a number of years and then leave for others to come and take over but he is in his marriage forever and therefore will always go home to his wife.
“OB anyday I will go home. Now if you become a President don’t you have a period you serve? You should think, people should be wise, and let’s understand that at the end of the day, the power we look for is to serve and when you serve your people within a period you’ll not be there,” he said on Accra-based Asempa FM.
Call it inter-political marriage and you will not be far from right. Families are bound together by blood, adoption or marriage.
Inter and intra-tribal marriages in Ghana are very common. Intra-political marriages are also common but inter-political marriages are somewhat rare in Ghana.
Usually, public exchanges on politics often get very heated and followers of the political parties seem not to see eye to eye but behind the public sphere, after the radio and TV arguments, politicians in and of themselves are good friends who wine and dine together.
Over the weekend, two young love birds whose families are ‘politically opposed’ tied the knot in a private ceremony in Accra.
The two, Kwaw Blay, the son of the former New Patriotic Party, NPP, National Chairman, Freddie Blay married Jasmine, who is also niece to Betty Mould Iddrisu, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
The ceremony was attended by members of both families. In some photos shared on social media, the families appeared excited about the young couple.
Mother of the groom, Gina Blay, who is also Ghana’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, in a tweet, shared photos of the two families with smiles and wrote “and they shall become One! Kwaw & Jasmine Blay.”
This is not the first there has been an inter-political marriage in the country. In April 2021, Chief Biney, Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, married his sweetheart, Afia Akoto the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the MASLOC.
Biney is quoted to have stated that he is in a political position to serve for a number of years and then leave for others to come and take over but he is in his marriage forever and therefore will always go home to his wife.
“OB anyday I will go home. Now if you become a President don’t you have a period you serve? You should think, people should be wise and let’s understand that at the end of the day, the power we look for is to serve and when you serve your people within a period you’ll not be there,” he said on Accra-based Asempa FM.
The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has asked party faithful to avoid unnecessary friction in the conduct of their campaigns and the electoral process.
He was at Koforidua to meet the rank and file of the party.
Political parties are expected to return to active campaign, after the one-week national mourning of the death of former President Flight Lieutenant (rtd) Jerry John Rawlings.
“To be confident and vigilant, yes, but not to be combative unnecessarily. We need peace in this country.â€
He, however, took a jab at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as incessant levelling of “false†and “alarmist†accusations against the government.
“What the NDC now seem to be doing is taking refuge in urging some institutions and the media to be levelling accusations of corruption against government incessantly.â€
He explained, “there are issues that are coming up, once you are in government they will come up. Your activities would draw tension in some cases and criticism. We are in government and we are taking it in our strides, coping with challenges every day.
“But Ghanaians know much. They know what Nana Addo has done for almost four years. He is a man of integrity, government is doing what must be done.â€
Campaigns are running into its final weeks.
The NPP National Chairman admits Covid-19 protocols have affected the traditional rallies for campaigning but remains resolute of an overwhelming victory for the NPP and its parliamentary candidates.
“We are very confident of winning convincingly and overwhelming majority in Parliament.â€
President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to tour the Eastern Region by next week.
The Eastern Region is his home region, and he and the NPP are hoping to record a convincing win after the December 7 polls.
The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddy Blay, and his entourage has visited some registration centers of the Electoral Commission in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.
Mr. Freddy Blay scrutinized all protocols at the registration centers and interacted with registration officials as well as polling agents.
The centres he visited were all peaceful and no challenges recorded as the registrants heeded the necessary protocols.
He was at the Sekondi constituency and monitored the ongoing registration exercise at the centers in the constituency.
At Sekondi, he witnessed a few tensions but dealt with it successfully.
He also visited the Takoradi constituency and monitored centers including All Saints Anglican Church A & B.
In Essikado-Ketan constituency, the Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Joe Ghartey joined the team in Assawa and Mallam town.
The team were also at Effia constituency where they monitored the California registration centre.
All activities were peaceful and successful.
The team comprised Minister for Railway Development and MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey, Western Regional Organizer Abdul Ganiyu Mohammed, Takoradi constituency First Vice-Chairman Justice Acquah, the party’s Parliamentary candidate for Akrofuom Alex Blankson, NPP Western Regional Women’s Organizer Abena Kwallah and a host of other party executives and members.
The NSS Deputy Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah (nee Oware-Aboagye)
Michael Ofori-Atta Jr is a relative of the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta (right).
Former Inspector-General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu’s daughter, Nana Asabea Asante-Apeatu is one of the recipients
Zina Asante (right) is the daughter of actress Juliet Asante who is now the CEO of the National Film Authority
Dr Clement Apaak, MP for Builsa South
