Over Death Threat On GREDA Executives

By Larry-Alans Dogbey

Lawyers of the nation’s premier private radio station, Joy 99.7 FM are expected at the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today over the station’s recent claims that some executives of the Ghana Real Estate Developer’s Association (GREDA) were forced by threats of death to withdraw a petition against the STX Housing Project from Parliament.

Mr. Shadrack Arhin, lawyer for the station was at the CID headquarters in Accra yesterday, and met with the Acting Director General of the CID, Mr. Proper Agblor, but pleaded to be excused to report today.

But the Chief Operations Manager of the station, Mr. Ekyi Quam expressed shock at the summons when this paper reached him on phone yesterday. “Really? I am unaware of this,” he said and quickly hung up.

However, the Public Relations Officer of the CID, Chief Inspector Joseph Benefo-Darkwa insists that the CID indeed, summoned the management of the station on Wednesday, through his outfit to answer questions pertaining to the death threats carried by the station in its news bulletins.

He confirmed that Lawyer Arhin is expected at the headquarters today, to continue with the investigation which The Herald learnt is at the behest of the government.

A Deputy Minister of Information told this paper in an interview that the move is not an attempt to gag the media, but purely a criminal matter which must be investigated by the law enforcement agencies, and those found to have issued the threat prosecuted in a court of law.

Mr. Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, who disclosed this, insists Joy FM is a credible medium of information, which reaches far and wide, but care must be taken so that Ghana does not carry an image in the international community as a country where politicians resort to issuing death threats to have a policy implemented.

The government, he maintained respects freedom of the press and will not covertly or overtly try to gag any media house, adding, “They can report whatever they want, but death threats must not be treated lightly. And as a responsible government, we want to know who, when and in which medium was the threat issued and to whom.”