The Ghana Journalists Associations, GJA says it has referred to the Police CID, a case in which a reporter of Accra FM, Nana Okyere Gyampa, is alleged to have persistently demanded GH¢5 million (five million cedis) from the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, as a condition for dropping a negative story against the company.
This was contained in a statement signed by the President of the Association, Affail Monney.
The referral of the case to the Police CID follows preliminary investigations and interrogation of the reporter by the GJA on Tuesday November 13, Nana Gyampa admitted during the hearing at the Ghana International Press Centre that it was unethical for him to demand money from the MD.
He however did that in WhatsApp messages to the MD in order to compel him to end alleged malpractices at ECG.
Nana Gyampa could not tell whether he had cross-checked the information he had. After the interrogation, Nana Gyampa again sent a WhatsApp message to the MD today /yesterday in which he threatened to go ahead to publish damaging stories about the ECG boss as punishment for leaking to the GJA the five million cedis demand he had made.
“The GJA, says as an Association, finds the behaviour of Nana Gyampa before during and after its investigation as unrepentant, arrogant, reprehensible, unacceptable, mercenary and a clear breach of Article 10 of the GJA code of Ethics which states that a Journalist does not accept a bribe or any form of inducement to interfere with the performance of his or her professional duties.”
The association is therefore asking the CID to investigate the case further and allow the law to take its course.
Meanwhile, Nana Okyere Gyampa, alleged to have extorted and blackmailed the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has been interdicted by his employers, Class Media Group (CMG).
