Joy News has responded to former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, making it clear that there was no ethical or professional misconduct in reporting on the issues relating to her frozen bank accounts.
The former Sanitation Minister had written to Joy News demanding a retraction and an apology after we published verified facts regarding the sum of transactions assessed by investigators on two of her bank accounts over a period.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor is investigating the former minister for corruption and corruption-related offences. It is seeking to confirm in the high court the seizure of $590,000 and GHȼ2,730,000 million Ghana cedis found in her home upon a search.
The OSP is also seeking to confirm the freezing of her accounts. Joy News had reported that two of the accounts held $5 million and 48 million cedis, being the value of transactions assessed by investigators over a period.
In a reply to Madam Dapaah, Joy News through its lawyers stated, “The complained reportage, regarding the said two figures (amounts), is based on facts in the matter, the subject of the said criminal investigations.”
“That said amounts, as duly clarified in specific publications by our client, represent the value of transactions on those bank accounts over a period, the subject of an application by the OSP for the confirmation of a freezing order in court,” the lawyers said.
The letter ends by stating that “staff of our client will continue, in the public interest, to exercise their profession pursuant to editorial policy and the Constitution of Ghana.”
