NDC threatens legal action against British envoy

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has threatened to file a suit against the Deputy British High Commissioner, Mr Craig Murray for alleged libel and malicious falsehood against the party.

Mr Kwaku Baah, a National Vice Chairman of the party, issued the threat at Nkawkaw on Thursday, in a reaction to a publication in an Accra daily on the same day, captioned " Envoy explains why donors abandoned Volta Region."

According to the story, the envoy said "donors shied away from the Volta Region under the previous government to avoid being labelled as favouring the region because of its affiliation to the government".

Mr Murray was reported to have made the alleged statement during a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Owusu Yeboah, last Tuessday at Ho.

Mr Baah, who is also the Chairman of the Legal Committee of the party, said that in spite of the diplomatic immunity of the envoy, the party would issue a writ for libel and malicious falsehood against him "at the appropriate time."

Describing the statement as unfortunate, Mr Baah said it was not the first time Mr Murray had made uncomplimentary remarks about the NDC, saying "it is unbecoming of a diplomat".

The NDC Vice Chairman warned that "if the Deputy High Commissioner is a man of honour, as all British diplomats of ages, he should honourably abandon his diplomatic status and submit himself to the jurisdiction of the courts of the country to defend his conduct".

Mr Baah said Mr Murray " should not to hide behind diplomatic immunity to scandalise the NDC and the nation, which had given him comfort and hospitality to perform his duties."

He called on the envoy to take steps to retract the statement, since it breaches all known diplomatic manners.