By Julian Owusu-Abedi
Beyou & Co., Lawyers of Vision FC Bankroller Mr. Michael Osekre has written to The New Crusading GUIDE Newspaper to demand retraction and apology over a couple of publications this paper carried on it’s front-page on the issues of Mr. Osekre procuring nine costly over-aged buses for the Ghana Football Association(GFA).
The nine 2008 Hyundai County buses cost the GFA a whooping gh¢5,175,000.00 in total.
According to Beyou & Co. the said report contained several grave, damaging and defamatory allegations including a claim that GFA or it’s agent Mr. Osekre falsified documents relating to nine buses acquired for Division One football clubs in Ghana.
Again, the lawyer stated that “to further compound matters, the articles ominously hinted at a further FIFA procurement breaches by the GFA in a forthcoming publication,”
They added that “the false allegation has damaged and harmed our client’s reputation and brand, a harm that has been further exacerbated by the fact that the articles have been republished by other newspapers, online portals and bloggers, amplifying the damage”.
However, one would have thought that as lawyers, they would have had the benefit of reading both articles before attempting to embarrass themselves with such unsubstantiated and unmeritorious demand for retraction and apology over a statement of fact.
On the 10th February 2025, this reporter painstakingly wrote officially to the GFA and copied the President of the GFA asking just three questions as seen in the format below based on the information this reporter had:
“In line with our professional ethics/conduct for balanced stories, I write to humbly request for clarification on some few issues that have come up in the wake of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) purchasing of nine buses for Division 1 Clubs under your sole authorization.
- Were the buses manufactured in 2008?
- Did the GFA falsified documents or adjusted year of manufacture of the buses from 2008 to 2014 to avoid paying penalty for over age vehicles?
- If each bus cost Ghc570, 000.00, did the GFA get value for money?
Standing by for your response/input in our story.
Best Regards”
Upon the GFA’s receipt of this inquiry same day, Mr. Michael Osekre called this reporter and introduced himself as the Chief of Staff to the GFA President Mr. Kurt Okraku and that he would like to meet this reporter to show documents or attempt to answer the questions.
After several failed appointments with the GFA President’s Chief of Staff and the “meet-me-here, meet-me-theres’ never happened, it was considered a tacit admission of the facts and therefore the story couldn’t have waited forever so it was published.
Fast forward, one would have thought that instead of this hollow letter demanding apology for a statement of fact, it should have rather been a proper rejoinder stating the facts contrary to what the article sort to achieve or put out there then this paper would have gladly retracted and apologized unreservedly.
In the absence of any superior document or a rejoinder stating contrary facts, lawyers should be measured with letters like this which seeks to cower the press for whatever consideration or motivation they receive from their clients.
