Freddie Blay and Joseph Whittal
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has expressed shock over claims by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) that he is escaping investigation into his procurement of 275 buses for the NPP.
According to him, the Commission seems to be playing politics with the issue.
He noted emphatically that “If they are playing politics they should tell me,” maintaining his innocence over the procurement of the buses.
The experienced politician has therefore dared CHRAJ to cause his arrest over his alleged failure to cooperate with investigations into the matter.J
In an interview with JoyNews, he urged the Commission that “ask for a court order and come and arrest Freddie Blay for being recalcitrant.”
According to Mr. Blay, he has not received any subpoena which CHRAJ had claimed to have sent to his office.
He wondered how CHRAJ would go around “telling the whole world”, he is escaping investigations when indeed it had never invited him.
Reports suggest that CHRAJ is contemplating on initiating contempt proceedings against the NPP’s Chairman.
Mr. Blay had ahead of the NPP’s National Executives elections in 2018, promised to procure one bus each for all 275 constituencies of the NPP.
Each constituency would receive some money as the bus works for it at STC transport company.
Some groups and individuals deemed the move as an attempt to buy votes while others described it as a graft.
About six days to a year since it received a petition by a group calling itself, Coalition for Social Justice, CHRAJ claims it has not been able to make much progress with the investigation.
The Coalition had alleged that the buses were procured through corruption.
Mr. Blay had indicated that a bank is financing in part, the purchase of the buses.
He had also indicated that he (Mr. Blay) had also made a $3million down-payment.
Under the deal, Mr. Blay explained that the loan was to be paid back within two years.
BY Melvin Tarlue