We’ll deal with ‘small fish’ Freddie Blay – CHRAJ boss vows

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has described National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic party (NPP) Mr, Freddie Blay as a ‘small fish’ amidst the Commission’s inability to locate him.

“We have dealt with bigger fishes so Mr Blay is really not a problem. It is simply the inability to catch him. You can be a big man and you are easily accessible but you can be a smaller man but you can be illusive”. Commissioner of CHRAJ Mr. Joseph Akanjolenur Whittal told GBC’s radio programme “Behind the News” in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

The Commission has however promised to deal with him in accordance with the laws of the land.

An Accra High Court directed CHRAJ to find Mr Freddie Blay and serve him with a summons on its investigation into his procurement of some 275 in the lead up to the party’s National Delegates’ Conference last year to elect party officials.

Mr Blay has not been found since to be given his summons, Lawyer for CHRAJ told the court.

Mr Blay has refused to respond to several requests from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice to provide it with information about the 275 buses he purchased for his party’s constituencies.

The investigation follows a petition by a group called Coalition for Social Justice sent to CHRAJ stating that the purchase of the buses by Mr Blay amounted to vote buying and a case of corruption which needs to be probed.

Mr Blay has since responded saying the buses were not procured to influence delegates adding that his party secured a bank facility for the procurement of the buses.

In an earlier statement, Mr Withal noted that the Commission has not been able to get Mr. Blay because he is ‘illusive’, a big man and operate in many offices.

But explaining this statement he emphasized that, “No, Mr Blay is a small fish. We have served presidents of Ghana. We have access to process to who serves the president of Ghana, in fact higher dignitaries and with all due respect to his office as Chairman of GNPC and Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)”.

The Commissioner further revealed that since CHRAJ has existed right from the beginning to the constitution it will be so easy to deal with Mr Blay.

“But if he (Mr Blay) is not able to respect the court will take a decision. But what is important is to give him the benefit of the doubt”. He noted.

“He is on record to have said it that he bought the buses, 100 have come and so definitely Mr. Blay should be able to tell us, give us information that’s all”, Mr Whittal added.