Freddie Blay
A High Court in Koforidua has granted former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, a bail of GH₵800,000 with two sureties who must be resident in Accra.
The court, presided over by Justice George Krofa Addae, also ordered the sureties to present valid Ghana Cards as part of the bail conditions.
This followed an application filed by his lawyer, Godfred Yeboah Dame, after he was remanded by a Circuit Court in Akropong for allegedly failing to appear before the court.
Mr. Blay was arrested in Accra on March 16, 2026 following the execution of an arrest warrant issued by the Akropong Circuit Court in relation to ongoing investigations in a disputed land matter.
Sources say the dispute relates to a land Mr. Blay acquired in 1994 which later became the subject of litigation.
A complainant had reported Mr. Blay to the police for allegedly ordering the demolition of a house under construction on the disputed parcel of land at Kitase.
The Circuit Court later issued a warrant for his arrest for allegedly failing to appear before it as far back as April 2025.
However, sources familiar with the matter strongly maintain that Mr. Blay was not aware of any summons or warrant issued for his arrest.
The sources also insist that Mr. Blay did not order the demolition of the structure but rather directed that a bare piece of land be cleared in January 2026, to prevent the land from becoming a breeding ground for reptiles.
Again, the sources indicate that although the complainant had earlier secured a favourable judgment at the High Court in Koforidua, there is a pending appeal against that decision.
The sources add that all attempts to serve the complainant with processes related to the appeal have been unsuccessful.
Judicial High-handedness
Meanwhile, Mr. Dame has criticised the Akropong Circuit Court judge for what he described as judicial high-handedness in the handling of Mr. Blay’s case, arguing that the decision undermines confidence in the judiciary.
“…I would say that we very much deplore the conduct of the Circuit Court judge at Akropong. We think that such conduct, apart from bringing the judiciary into disrepute, is actually symptomatic of some judicial high-handedness,” he told journalists after his client was granted bail by the High Court.
Mr. Dame further suggested that the court’s treatment of Mr. Blay may have been influenced by his political background, while insisting that justice must be administered equally irrespective of one’s status.
“High-handedness in the sense that he was treated, from our perspective, perhaps, on account of his political background and all that,” he said.
” But this is not a matter that would be granted to any person at all, no matter how high or low a person’s standing in society,” Mr. Dame argued.
“And so how would you treat him in this way, especially when there’s even no evidence of the service of the summons?” he added.
Mr. Dame, however, disclosed that Mr. Blay is in good spirits and is recovering at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), where he is receiving treatment.
“He is in good medical care. He’s on admission at UGMC, and I believe that the medical practitioners are really doing their very best. He’s in good health, and I believe he is in good spirits,” he said.
By Gibril Abdul Razak