Government denies “secret meeting” with journalists

Accra, Aug. 8, GNA – Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information, on Monday denied allegations that government officials had a secret meeting with group of journalists in the Upper East Region where they sought to bribe them.

He said the government of President John Evans Atta Mills would never seek to compromise journalists and called for a full investigation into the allegations.

“We will not take the Ghanaian people for a ride with the mentality that one can replace hardworking efforts at seeking their welfare and building a better Ghana with criminal and disgraceful ploys to engage the media to paint an illusionary picture,” he said.

Mr Okudzeku-Ablakwa was speaking at a press conference organised in Accra to debunk allegations by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) last Thursday that Mr Baba Jamal, a Deputy Minister of Information, held a secret meeting with a group of journalists in the Upper East Region in an attempt to bribe them to slant their reports and stories to favour the government.

A press conference held on August 4, 2011 by the NPP, Nana Akomea, Director of Communications, alleged the meeting was between some journalists in that region and government officials, including Mr Baba Jamal and that the NPP had a recorded voice of the Deputy Minister.

Nana Akomea also alleged that bank account numbers were given to the said journalists in which money from the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) would be lodged.

Mr Okudzeto-Ablakwa said government had said time without number that the voice on that mystery tape was not that of Mr Baba Jamal and that fact would not change no matter how hard they tried.

He asked Nana Akomea and the NPP to withdraw the allegations and apologise to the government, Mr Baba Jamal and the affected journalists whose names and media houses they publicly published.

The Deputy Minister said less than 48 hours after those allegations were made, Nana Akomea appeared on Joy FM News File programme and was asking the radio station to get a voice expert to ascertain whose voice was on the tape.

He asked what stopped Nana Akomea from engaging a voice expert and ascertaining the truth before going public to malign government and destroy the reputations of the journalists.

Mr Okudzeto-Ablakwa said preliminary investigations conducted revealed that no such accounts existed and the NYEP also through their leadership had stated in absolute terms that there had never been any such scheme where journalists were bribed to make them report favourable stories for the government.

“The attempt to attack the integrity and credibility of Ministers in the Information Ministry appears to be a key part of an orchestration to ’destroy the messenger so that the message he brings will have no effect,” he said.

He said the Information Ministry had already referred the matter to the Bureau of National Investigations and the National Security Council Secretariat had also written to Mr Baba Jamal for his comments on the matter.

Mr Okudzeto-Ablakwa said Mr Baba Jamal had also petitioned the IGP through his lawyers to institute criminal investigations into the matter.

“We hope when the security agencies proceed with their work, it will not be seen as political persecution but as a matter of immense national interest for which the truth must be known and the criminals exposed and dealt with according to law.

“Government also welcomes the call by a section of the public that the Ghana Journalists Association and the National Media Commission investigate this matter and wish to use this medium to commend the GJA for already initiating investigations.”

Mr Okudzeto-Ablakwa said he hoped that they would make their findings public so as to clear the names or otherwise of the journalists.

The Deputy Minister reiterated government’s commitment to continue to respect journalists and uphold the dignity of their profession.

“Never will we hatch any scheme to unethically and immorally influence journalists neither will we engage in acts that undermine and subject journalists to disgrace and public ridicule”, he added.