Journalist who demanded GHC5m from ECG boss to ‘kill a story’ faces prosecution

A journalist with an Accra-based radio station who allegedly demanded five million cedis from the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to “kill a negative story” has been referred to the Police.

The journo, Nana Okyere Gyampa with Accra FM, who discovered alleged malpractices at the ECG, was said to have admitted to demanding the amount from the managing director with the view to dropping the story.

According to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) which conducted preliminary investigations into the case on Tuesday, Nana Gyampa could not tell whether he had cross-checked the information he had.

“After the interrogation, Nana Gyampa again sent a WhatsApp message to the MD today (Wednesday November 14, 2018) in which he threatened to go ahead to publish damaging stories against the ECG boss as punishment for leaking to the GJA the five million cedi demand he had made,” a statement issued by the GJA president Affail Monney said.

The GJA described Nana Gyampa’s conduct as “arrogant, reprehensible, unacceptable, mercenary”, and a clear breach of Article 10 of the Association’s Code of Ethics.

It said the ethics of the journalism profession frowns on accepting a bribe or any form of inducement to influence the performance professional duties.

The GJA has thus written to the Police CID take up the matter and investigate same for possible prosecution.