Whatsup News Editor charged with two counts of publishing false news, granted bail

Managing Editor of Whatsup News, David Tamakloe, has been charged with two counts of publishing false news and granted bail to the tune of GH¢10,000 with two sureties by the New Edubiase Magistrate Court in the Ashanti Region.

The journalist was arrested by the Tesano police on Wednesday afternoon and then driven to New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region that evening in handcuffs over a report that alleged that Ewes and various citizens from northern Ghana sojourned in the New Edubiase were being intimidated by supporters of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“I wasn’t manhandled but was put in handcuffs from Accra all the way to the Ashanti Region over the coverage of a press conference by the NDC during the new voters’ ID card registration where the party made the allegation,” a relaxed David Tamakloe told GhanaWeb in an interview minutes after his bail was posted.

“I have been ordered to reappear in court on 22nd October,” he added.

Edudzi Tamakloe, who is the counsel representing the journalist, told journalists that the New Edubiase District Court issued a bench warrant for his client’s arrest over the said publication.

The journalist is said to have ignored an earlier police invitation, thereby seeking a bench warrant for his arrest by the New Edubiase police.

Prior to Tamakloe’s arrest, it was reported that the Ghana Police Service officials at New Edubiase arrested one Francis Kwame Konu for sharing the content of the digital newspaper against the laws on publication of fake news.

Ghana's law on publication of Fake News

Section 76 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775) clause (1) A says: “A person who by means of electronic communications service, knowingly sends a communication which is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person, … commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than [thirty six thousand Ghanaian Cedis] or to a term of imprisonment of not more than five years or both.

(2) A person is taken to know that a communication is false or misleading if that person did not take reasonable steps to find out whether the communication was false, misleading, reckless or fraudulent.”