I was wrong to criticise Srem-Sai’s security detail - Adom-Otchere apologises

Veteran broadcast journalist and host of Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, has apologised to Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai after admitting he was wrong to criticise the security detail assigned to the minister.

Speaking on his programme, Adom-Otchere revealed that a lengthy discussion with a senior security source changed his understanding of how security personnel are assigned to public officials.

According to him, the official challenged his earlier commentary questioning why Justice Srem-Sai was being escorted by heavily armed security officers.

“He said to me, ‘Do you think it is the deputy minister who called the airborne force to come and protect him? It is the security system that does it. He doesn’t decide,'” Adom-Otchere recounted.

He said the security source explained that the level of protection given to a public official is determined by intelligence assessments and the level of threat facing that individual, not by the office they hold.

“The security people determine the security around him. It is not he who determines it,” he said he was told.

Adom-Otchere admitted the explanation made him reconsider his earlier position.

“I looked at him and I said, ‘I’m sorry,'” he said.

The journalist said the security official advised him to apologise publicly because his earlier remarks had unfairly portrayed Justice Srem-Sai as someone demanding excessive state protection.

Responding to that advice, Adom-Otchere accepted responsibility for the editorial decision.

“We apologize for that editorial. I apologize for it. I take personal responsibility for it,” he stated.

He added that he had no intention of compromising the Deputy Attorney General’s safety.

“Justice Srem-Sai, I’m not targeting you at all and I apologize for that. I’m not interested in compromising your security. I want you to be alive,” he said.

Adom-Otchere also thanked the security official for taking time to explain the rationale behind the protective measures, saying the conversation had changed his perspective on reporting security-related issues.