General News of Tuesday, 25 June 2019

Source: starrfm.com.gh

I’ve not treated CHRAJ with contempt – Freddie Blay

NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay

The National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, says he has not in anyway exhibited any conduct that is contemptuous of the Court or of the institution CHRAJ, that should warrant the application by CHRAJ seeking to cite him for contempt.

Lawyers of CHRAJ are in Court praying for Mr. Blay to be cited for contempt because they believe he has intentionally avoided service on him with regard to a petition before CHRAJ asking the anti corruption body to investigate the purchase of some 275 buses by the NPP National Chairman for each Constituency of his party.

In an affidavit filed on 24th of June 2019, in opposition to the motion filed by CHRAJ and deposed to by Chairman Freddie Blay, he indicated that his attention has been drawn to a myriad of Publications on online portals concerning above subject matter and that he totally denies all the claims made in the motion filed by CHRAJ which was deposed to by Tetteh Amediko of Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice.

“I have not looked down upon CHRAJ, I have not disobeyed any directives, orders, instructions, of CHRAJ,” the affidavit said.

The Affidavit further says “the application under reference does not and cannot meet the standard of any proper application for attachment of contempt”.

In Court today, Justice George Koomson established that even though lawyers of CHRAJ still hold to their claims that the NPP National Chairman has still not made himself available to be served, he has of himself based on reportage on the issue filed an affidavit in opposition to same. He subsequently ordered that both parties should file their written submission within two weeks. The parties he said should return to Court on the 24th of July 2019, for his judgement.