The Attorney-General’s determination to ensure that bad judges are exposed and
mischief makers consigned to their respective places for justice to be served to the
people of Ghana unhindered, has claimed yet another casualty.
This time, it is not a judge of Ghana’s court, but a mischief maker clad in
journalistic cloak, Mr. Ebo Quansah.
In a feature article in the 31st August, 2010 edition of the pro-NPP Daily Guide
newspaper headed When Party Agents Yell, Judges Beware, Ebo Quansah alleged without
proof that the Attorney General had a meeting with National Security Advisor, the
Minister of Defence and Nana Ato Dadzie to adopt strategies on how to handle recent
public consternation over some judges who deliver bogus judgments.
In a sharp rebuttal fired to the Daily Guide and copied to the National Media
Commission, Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu described the allegation as “pure fabrication
designed to cause apprehension among all concerned and incite ill-will against the
office of Attorney-General and the occupant thereof.”
She wrote, “I wish to emphatically state here and for the records that no such
meeting took place in my office nor was I privy to any such meeting at any time
during my continuing tenure as Attorney-General.”
Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu took strong exceptions to the inability of Mr. Ebo Quansah to
cross-check the allegation with the relevant authorities before going to print.
In a content analysis, she also exposed the Daily Guide for exhibiting double
standards by publishing on page 15 of the same issue a news item in which the
chairman of the National Media Commission admonished journalists to behave in
accordance with the ethics of their profession.
For failing to cross-check for the facts, the Attorney-General concluded that Ebo
Quansah’s publication “was made with a preconceived mindset and designed to achieve
a prejudicial end.”
A few days ago, the Attorney-General raised the red flags timely over the imminent
bias of Justice Anthony Oppong should he be allowed to sit on the Ya-Na murder case.
Her readiness to prove allegations that Justice Oppong made some prejudicial
comments at a beer bar compelled the judge to recuse himself from the trial. Justice
E.K. Ayebi has since replaced him.
A couple of days later, she stopped the New Crusading Guide in their tracks when she
exposed their lie that President Mills was appointing judges.
With regards to the mischievous article by Ebo Quansah, Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu reminded
the Daily Guide on the need to practise responsible journalism to help build a
better governance system.
The full text of the rejoinder is reproduced below;
RE: WHEN PARTY AGENTS YELL. JUDGES BEWARE:
ATTORNEY-GENERAL REPLIES EBO OUANSAH
I refer to the above mentioned article published in your 31st August 2010
edition of your newspaper at page 4 in which the author sought to create
some disparaging impressions about my office and proceeded to make
certain factually incorrect and dangerous statements that affects the
integrity of not only the office of Attorney General, but also undermining of
the independence of the judiciary. Needless to say that the entire publication
is false, it is clearly evident that the author was motivated not by a selfless
desire to inform his readers, but to unsettle and embarrass the persons
affected and stir panic among the general populace.
In the said publication, the author stated that there was a meeting between
the Attorney General, National Security Advisor, Minister of Defence and
Nana Ato Dadzie. I wish to emphatically state here and for the records that
no such meeting took place in my office nor was I privy to any such meeting
at any time during my continuing tenure as Attorney General. The allegation
contained in your paper is therefore nothing but a pure fabrication designed
to cause apprehension among all concerned and incite ill-will against the
office of Attorney-General and the occupant thereof. Had this not been the
case, your outfit would have acted in keeping with the ethics and standards
of your office as journalists by enquiring from my office of the allegations
and double checked the authenticity of the facts and in any case receiving
the benefit of the AG's version of the story for purposes of making a
balanced reportage.
In the circumstances it is clear that this publication was made with a
preconceived mindset and designed to achieve a prejudicial end, in breach of
the ethics of journalism and the recent admonition by the chairman of the
media commission, which ironically was contained on page 15 of your paper
,4
of the same date to the effect that journalist must behave in accordance
with the ethics of the profession. In the light of this, I am taking the liberty
to copy him this rejoinder for his record and possible action in this regard.
A newspaper the size of yours should aspire to practice responsible
journalism by seeking to negatively exploit recent occurrences to heighten
the anxiety of our governance institutions, your newspaper is not helping,
but rather undermining the cause of Ghana in building a better governance
system for its entire people.
