Jojo, Ahowi Charged

Report reaching Daily Guide indicates that the Jojo Bruce-Quansah?s abduction palaver, has taken a new twist with the police preparing to put him and Kwamena Ahwoi, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) before a court of law.

Daily Guide learnt that the embattled Editor of Ghana Palaver, and his boss Kwamena Ahwoi, are to be charged for deceit of public officer and causing alarm.

To this effect, the docket has been sent to the Attorney-General?s Department for advice.

A source close to the A.G?s office hinted Daily Guide yesterday that this is a straight forward case of deceit of a public officer through the concoction of an abduction story and that nobody is above the law.

But a fuming Jojo yesterday broke his silence, stating that going to jail over the ?440 million defamation cost hanging around his neck, does not scare him a bit, because after all, ?there are several Ghanaian businessmen owing more than ?2 billion, who have not committed suicide. If the court decides to impose a fine on me, and knows that I can?t pay, fine, let them send me to jail?. Sounding rather defiant, the embattled editor said in an interview with an Accra radio station that ?I am a very bold journalist. I have gone through lots of hazards as a journalist. I have been in this profession for a very long time, close to 30 years.?

He charged on those who have engaged in copious discussions about his alleged ordeal at the hands of unknown assailants, and described their positions as ?nonsense?.

According to him those who are attacking him through such discussions, should take note that ?no government would remain forever. If their government is in power today, and they are rejoicing, let them continue rejoicing. Those rejoicing over my ordeal, let me tell them that, today it is me, tomorrow it would be somebody else.?

Continuing his attack on those whose analysis about his alleged attack he disapproved of, he said ?if they had been in my shoes, they would not have felt comfortable to sit somewhere, and say what they are saying.?

Mr. Jojo Bruce-Quansah at a point sounded sober, as he said ?now I know that if I had died in my room, somebody would have said that I committed suicide, because I had been fined by a court.?

On the report that he had smeared fowl?s blood on his body ostensibly, to create the impression that he had bled from inflicted bruises, he retorted that ?for people to go on air, and talk nonsense that I smeared chicken blood on my clothes, and that my clothes had been sent to the forensic laboratory... for their information, I did not say that blood was on me, in my statement to the Police. No Police officer has taken my cloth for forensic test.?

Giving a fresh insight into what happened to him on the day that he was allegedly attacked, he said, ?I was wet and the guy who went with my message, saw this and thought it was blood. It was in the night.?

When asked whether he has been let down by somebody, he said ? if there is any letting down, then it must be Ghanaians. I write for the public interest. I write to inform them.?

Patting himself on the back, he recalled how one of his stories allegedly, saved the country $1 billion when he said ?we have written stories which have saved the country from lots of things. The IFC loan. If we had not written it, Ghana would have been saddled with a $1 billion debt. So it is Ghana which has let me down.?

He said that, he has been careful as not to accuse anybody for his ordeal, when he stated that ?in this world, everybody has an enemy. Somebody thinks the stories this guy is doing, we don?t like them, we must stop him. Somebody hates my guts.?

According to him, perhaps his alleged attack could be unconnected to the stories he has done, adding ?maybe, he just doesn?t like me.?

In an explanation which sounded like exonerating government agents, he said ?he has taken this opportunity, because he thinks blame would be shifted to government. I have been careful not to put blame on anybody?s doorstep?.

On why he contacted Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi after his ordeal, with the unknown assailants and not the Police, he stated that in this world, people have close friends and for him, that close friend is Kwamena Ahwoi.

Explaining that he is not doubting the integrity of the Police, he said that he did not report to the Police first because there are instances where people in his type of trouble, ended up dying before Police could seek medical attention for them, as ?they would ask you to go to counter-back.?

Mr. Jojo Bruce-Quansah was in the news recently when he alleged that, he had been assaulted by unknown assailants, as a result of which he ostensibly sought refuge at a doctor-friend?s residence in Tema where he was treated for injuries sustained.

Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi on receipt of an SOS message from the editor, reported the case to the Police who swung into immediate search for him.

The editor resurfaced later, and sent many curious Ghanaians to pose various questions, which doubted the integrity of the story.

Eventually, some described the story as a fairy tale, others as cock and bull. Some saw the story as engineered to win public sympathy for the editor, whose story on Mr. George Kufuor, President Kufuor?s junior brother, landed him in a libel mess in court.

He was fined ?440 million for damages, compelling the editor to organise an appeal for funds to save the newspaper, The Ghana Palaver from imminent collapse.

Daily Guide has learnt that, the editor?s quest for financial assistance from the National Democratic Congress, leadership has pulled a blank, with the founder, Rawlings describing the judgement as an injustice. He asked Jojo to press his pen harder until the NPP government was sent off.

His worry now is that, the auctioneer?s gavel could signal the end of his ownership of his Amanfrom suburb residence.