Court remands Freddie Blay over disputed property demolition
By DL News
Published
2 min read
The veteran lawyer and politician was taken into custody on Monday, 16 March 2026, after police in Accra executed what authorities say was a long-outstanding criminal arrest warrant.
Former New Patriotic Party National Chairman Freddie Blay has been remanded by the Akropong Circuit Court after being arrested over a disputed demolition linked to a property at Kitase in the Eastern Region.
The veteran lawyer and politician was taken into custody on Monday, 16 March 2026, after police in Accra executed what authorities say was a long-outstanding criminal arrest warrant.
He was subsequently handed over to the Akropong Police and taken before the court, which ordered that he remain in custody until 9 April 2026.
At the centre of the case is a complaint by a landowner who alleges that Mr Blay caused a house under construction on contested land to be demolished.
According to the prosecution’s account, the matter began with a police report over the destruction of property. Investigators say Mr Blay was invited to assist with enquiries but did not respond.
That, prosecutors say, led to charges being filed in early 2025. When he allegedly failed to appear in court in April 2025, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Police say that warrant remained in force until it was carried out this week.
People close to Mr Blay dispute the suggestion that he had been avoiding the process. They say he had no knowledge of the warrant until his arrest and argue that the underlying dispute is essentially civil, arising from a land transaction dating back to 1994.
They also reject the allegation that he ordered the demolition of a building.
According to that account, Mr Blay only instructed that a vacant plot be cleared in January 2026 for environmental and public health reasons, including concerns that the area could become a habitat for reptiles and other dangerous animals.
The land itself is already the subject of a long-running legal battle.
Although the complainant is said to have obtained a favourable ruling from the High Court in Koforidua, Mr Blay’s legal team has appealed that decision.
The criminal case is expected to return to court on 9 April 2026.
