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ASEPA’s Mensah Thompson Detained by Police; Charged with Publication of False News

  • Date of Occurrence
    February 9, 2022
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The Executive Director of the Alliance For Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has been detained at the Teshie District Police Command in Accra.

He has also been charged with publishing false news after honouring an invitation by the Police Command.

According to the police, a formal complaint was brought against the suspect by the Ghana Armed Forces regarding allegations that members of the president’s family travelled with the presidential jet to UK for shopping. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday, February 10, 2022, at the Kaneshie District Court.

Mensah Thompson, who leads ASEPA as an anti-graft and social advocacy group had alleged that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his relatives, had used the Presidential aircraft of the Ghana Armed Forces for a shopping trip to the United Kingdom in December 2021.

That was not his only claim; he alleged that the trip between December 20 to 30 was also joined by the president’s friends.

He thus demanded explanations from the National Security, Ghana Armed Forces and the Defense Ministry over using the presidential jet.

But the Ghana Armed Forces debunked the claims, discredited the reportage and asked the general public to disregard it.

In an interesting twist, however, Mensah Thompson backtracked on his claims and rendered an unqualified apology for peddling the false claims.

“In the same medium I made the earlier publication, I withdraw the publication pending an official response from the GCAA. I unreservedly apologise to the Ghana Armed Forces if my publication affected their image. We shall put out for your consumption the response to our request from the GCAA records of the Falcon 900-EX.”, he posted on social media.

The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Youth Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye demanded the arrest of Mensah Thompson over the allegations.

 

 

Actions Taken

Court grants ASEPA’s Mensah Thompson GHS 50,000 bail

An Accra High Court has granted the Executive Director of ASEPA, Mensah Thompson a bail in the region of GHS 50,000.
Mr. Thompson also pleaded not guilty to two criminal charges of publication of false news and offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Ebenezer Tei Okuffo, told the Kaneshie District Court that Mensah Thompson’s post had the potential to incite the youth against the family of President Akufo-Addo.

He told the court that “there are places we have to take the accused person to, to elicit some information” as part of the investigations; and prayed the court to remand Mr. Thompson.

According to the Prosecutor, Mr. Thompson had been extended an invitation to the Police Station on January 14, to aid the police in the investigation, but he refused to honour the invitation and turned himself in only when he got wind of an arrest warrant secured against him.

Mr. Thompson put up a Facebook post last year alleging that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s relatives used the presidential jet on a shopping spree in the United Kingdom. He subsequently retracted the post and apologized for it.

He is also to report to the investigating officer at the Teshie District Police Command at least twice a week.

Details
  • Date of Occurrence
    2022-02-09
  • Source
    https://citinewsroom.com/2022/02/asepas-mensah-thompson-detained-by-police-charged-with-publication-of-false-news/
Region
  • Ghana
Rights & Freedom Violated
  • Press Freedom
Gender of Victim(s)
  • Male
Mode of Attacks
  • Ban, Sanctions and Fines
  • Forced Disappearances, Unlawful Arrests and Detention
  • Trials, Prosecution and Persecutions
  • Comments are closed.
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