I act as Lawyer for the District Chief Executive of Shai-Osudoku District, Mr. Daniel Akuffo on whose instructions I write.
My client’s attention has been drawn to a story done by one Alex Boye and published on page 6
of the Thursday, 4th October, 2018 issue of ‘The New Crusading Guide’ captioned;
‘SHAI-OSUDOKU DCE, MP BLOWS GH₵1.5MILLION CEDIS ON LIBRARY REFURBISHMENT….while
District continues to face Developmental challenges”
In one breath the story says that SOMEONE ALLEGED (emphasis mine) that the honorable Member of Parliament (MP) for Shai-Osudoku and my client spent GH₵1.5 million of the Assembly’s Common Fund on refurbishment of a Library even though the initial cost of construction of the Library was less than GH₵50,000 (fifty thousand cedis)
In another breath the story says, IT IS THE MP AND MY CLIENT WHO CLAIMED (emphasis mine) that they spent GH₵1.5million on the refurbishment.
In yet another breath the story purported to quote my client as having told him (the Reporter) that “We are renovating the library at a cost of just GH₵17,071.30 (seventeen thousand and seventy one Ghana cedis, thirty Ghana pesewas) and not GH₵1.5million”.
The cost of the all the work being done on the Library is GH₵170,071.30 (one hundred and seventy thousand and seventy one Ghana cedis, thirty Ghana pesewas)
This is exactly what I told your reporter in the presence of other officers of the Assembly.
To top it all, the story says further that a report stated that my client in particular is fond of diverting monies meant for development of the area into his personal Account.
I am to inform the general public that apart from the fact that a Library at Dodowa is being refurbished from the MP’s Common Fund, everything else of the story was cooked and ‘cleverly’ crafted to assassinate the character of my client and cause him public disaffection.
The giant amount of GH₵1.5million mentioned in the story as having been blown from the Assembly’s Common Fund on Library refurbishment by my client is totally false and only meant to hold him out in innuendo as a corrupt public official.
Conversely, the pigmy amount of GH₵17,071.30 quoted in the story as having been obtained from the mouth of my client as the cost of the refurbishment is equally false and also meant to insinuate and portray him as a very dishonest public officer, trying to substitute an abysmally low sum of money as the cost of the project merely to fool the public so as to cover up the supposed ballooned cost of the refurbishment.
The Reporter, Alex Boye, was said to have interviewed my client in the presence of some officers of the Shai-Osudoku District Assembly and he (the Reporter) must have recorded the interview, yet he daringly ignored the answers provided by the DCE and daringly published a story which is thousands of miles away from the truth.
The false story complained of and its highly sensational caption together with my client’s photograph placed beside it is evil in the extreme and painfully libelous.
My client demands immediate publication of this rejoinder, a retraction of the false story complained of and a published apology to cleanse his good name and had won reputation.
Unless this demand is met within seven (7) days of receipt of this Rejoinder, appropriate redress will be sought elsewhere.
Thanks
PETER K. KORNOR Esq.
(Licence No. GAR 18449/18)
