NMC drags Pratt and Baako to court

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA - The National Media Commission (NMC) has dragged two editors to an Accra High Court following their refusal to appear before its Settlement Committee over two publications.

The court presided over by Mr Justice Richard Asamoah would on November 28 begin hearings.

The two: Mr Kwesi Pratt Junior, Editor of the "Insight" newspaper and Mr Kwaku Baako Junior, Editor of the "Crusading Guide," a bi-weekly newspaper requested that they should be sent to court.

A writ filed by Mr Joseph Edwin Tettey, Acting Executive Secretary of the NMC, stated that the Ministry of Health (MOH) and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings lodged complaints against the Editors in accordance with the Settlement Committee of the NMC.

Following the complaints, the NMC forwarded to the defendants (Pratt and Baako) for their reaction to enable the Settlement Committee to determine the case.

The defendants separately failed to respond to the invitation and stated that they would prefer to go to court.

The NMC, therefore, on behalf of the complainants took legal action against the two.

Nii Odoi Annan Company, a legal firm, on behalf of the former First Lady petitioned the NMC over a publication in the "Crusading Guide," on June 25, 2002, which alleged an exposure of Nana Konadu's foreign account in Switzerland.

The publication further listed Nana Konadu as the beneficiary and signatory of the account, which had a current balance of 632,400 dollars.

The account, the publication alleged had existed since 1980s and had several millions of cedis running through it.

The petitioner, however, denied the story and claimed that it only sought to drag the name of the Nana Konadu into disrepute and, therefore, called for the retraction of the story.

Nana Konadu, therefore, petitioned the NMC to ask Mr Baako to apologise or retract the story in the same prominence or substantiate the allegation.

In an affidavit in opposition, Mr Baako stated that the relief sought by Nana Konadu was unfounded in the constitution and that the said application was of no merit.

On January 21, this year, the MOH also reported formally to the NMC on the conduct of Mr Pratt and asked him to apologise to the family of the late Gladys Ampadu for his insensitivity to the deceased family. The letter signed by Mr S. Owusu Agyei, Acting Chief Director, said following the report on the deceased, Mr Pratt should retract the story and render an apology to the Ridge Hospital and the Greater Accra Regional Director for Ghana Health Service.

On February 21, Mr Pratt in a letter to the NMC, stated: "We respectfully decline the NMC's offer of arbitration. Our alternative is that if the MOH wishes to pursue the matter further they are welcome to