I had nothing against Kufuor's government - Raymond Archer

Renowned investigative journalist, Raymond Archer, has refuted the assertion that his investigative pieces during the era of former President John Agyekum Kufuor were an attack on him.

According to him, his investigative work during Kufuor’s government was driven by professionalism and his commitment to accountability in governance and not personal political attacks.

Archer, who made these remarks on ChannelOne TV’s Face to Face, indicated that even though he might have made some mistakes, he was only motivated by his quest to hold the government accountable.

“If you ask me, I personally didn’t have anything against Kufuor as a president or former President Kufuor… It’s just the way I think, when I have a big story, I enjoy it.

“Maybe in the course of that, you may make mistakes, but I can always tell you if a story was not worth it, I never wasted my time on it,” he said.

Asked by the host of the programme, Umaru Sanda Amadu, whether he had any regrets about his investigative pieces on the Kufuor administration, he retorted, “Nothing really comes to mind.”

The journalist also refuted the assertion that his claim during the Election Forensics programme he hosted on Radio Gold that dead bodies were transported from mosques for the elections of 2008 was propaganda to help the NDC.

“You know that a minister admitted that they made those comments. Those were not allegations. Those were recordings of people discussing… You go back in recent times, a minister admitted that they actually did have that meeting,” he said.

He added, “If you are in my orbit, you would know that if I decide to do something, I won't do it because it benefits A or B. I actually value my reputation.”

In 2002, Archer won both the Global Medal and the African Prize of the 2002 Lorenzo Natali Prize for Excellence in Journalism, sponsored by the European Union and the International Federation of Journalists.

One of Raymond Archer's investigative works revealed massive corruption in the judiciary, leading to public outcry and calls for reforms.

Archer accused the Kufuor administration of corruption and cited inferences to kickbacks allegedly made by a former chairman of the NPP Harouna Esseku, an allegation consistently denied by the former chairman.

In 2011, he alleged that assassination plots were made against him because of his investigations.

BAI/AE

Watch as Ghanaians share their views on National Cathedral project, cutting down of ministries:



Watch a compilation of the latest Twi news below: