Ace Ankomah To Sue Enquirer!

Do you remember this headline: 'Ben Ephson is not a good journalist?' This was the headline carried in the paper of the missionary of professionalism, Raymond Archer concerning his colleague, Ben Ephson. Ben's 'crime' was for not talking to one side of a story his paper was investigating. But now the preacher and condemner himself has been found wanting for the same offence.

Ben in doing his work diligently placed a call and left a message on the phone since there was nobody to speak to but he was condemned and described as unprofessional.

Raymond Archer in his bid to tarnish the image of an Accra based lawyer and lecturer, Ace Ankomah, went ahead with a story without doing the basic principle required in journalism of cross-checking his information. According to Raymond's newspaper, Mr. Ankomah upon hearing that the son of former NIB boss was arrested, showed up at the offices of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and claimed he was the lawyer for the suspect. The paper continued that when the suspect was asked to name his lawyers, Mr. Ankomah was not one of them and had to the leave the BNI offices, from where he drove straight to Joy Fm to scream to the high heavens.

Now, Mr. Ankomah is very unhappy with the story because according to him he has never visited any BNI offices and has threatened to sue the paper if it does not retract the story.

Speaking on Joy FM, Archer now claims that somebody showed up at BNI on the day of the arrest and said that he was Ace Ankomah and that he was counsel for the suspect. He continued that 'I would not say that my source has misled me, like I said somebody else had gone there to claim that he is counsel for the suspect and gave his name as Ace Ankomah, either way it has complications for the BNI and Mr. Ace Ankomah'.

Speaking to Mr. Ankomah yesterday he said he spoke to one of the many editors of the paper and was assured of a retraction but it seems they do not want to do it.

"So I will give them a little time. If the retraction does not happen, Archer will receive court papers," he said. Asked whether it was true he agreed with Archer to go and cross-check with his sources before the retraction is done, he answered that Archer merely informed him that he would go back and cross-check with the BNI.

"He told me he was going to do that. I sent him a text to say that I could not wait for his verification before he takes steps to clear my name". 'By close of day today he would receive his papers and we shall meet in court for his so-called sources to make out', he said.

The Enquirer this year in its quest to tarnish the images of certain persons it had targeted for reasons best known to its pay-masters started by launching a blistering attack on one Sheila Sackey followed by Hon. Osei Ameyaw and Prof Mike Oquaye.

In the case of Shelia even though they were in possession of original correspondence the paper still went ahead and quoted wrong figures in the refurbishment of Australia House.