Nana B, NPP National Youth Organiser
The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, has called on the Police to arrest the Executive Director of Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson for spreading fake news about President Akufo-Addo.
The call comes after Mr Mensah has apologized for claiming that the presidential aircraft of the Ghana Air Force (GAF) was used by relatives of the President for a shopping trip to the United Kingdom between December 20 and 30, 2021.
False claims
Mr Mensah wrote on Facebook that “So between the 20th and 30th of December, 2021…during the Christmas, the children of a close relative of the President took Ghana’s Presidential Jet the Falcon EX jet on a trip to the UK just for Christmas shopping. They didn’t go alone, they went with their friends and partied in the sky all through the trip, taking snap videos and flaunting their lucky adventure.
“Ghana has spent close to half a billion dollars in the last two years renting private jets for our President, whiles his family members continue to lavish in our rejected aircraft at the expense of the poor tax payer.
“The Ministry of National Security, the Ghana Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority would have to provide answers to the good people of Ghana why a national security asset like the Presidential jet was left at the mercy of spoilt youngsters who went partying around the world playing in Ghana’s Presidential jet, creating an international diplomatic spectacle embarrassing the country Ghana.”
Before the GAF released a statement denying the claim, he had written “I have had an extensive conversation this morning with the PRO of the Ghana Armed Forces pursuant to the usage of the Presidential jet by the children of the relatives of the President
“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 their image was in anyway affected by my publication. We shall put out for your consumption the response to our request from the GCAA records of the Falcon 900-EX.”
Possible arrest
Meanwhile, Nana B, as the NPP National Youth Organiser is affectionately called, is worried that Mr Thompson has developed a penchant for the publication of fake news because he always gets away with it “regardless of the magnitude of such evil lies he peddles.”
He condemned his penchant for “spewing outright lies and false allegations” ostensibly to incite the public and endanger lives.
“As a country we cannot look on for him to always peddle brazen and wicked falsehood and later turn around to say ‘I am sorry, I apologise for peddling falsehood’. On this current issue, he must be subjected to the full rigors of the law to deter him from hiding behind social media to create confusion in the system”, he added.
He explained that there are laws in the country against such acts insisting he must be arrested immediately since publishing fake news is punishable under Ghanaian laws.
He quoted Section 76, Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775), which stipulates that “a person who by means of electronic communications service, knowingly sends a communication which is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person, … commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than [thirty six thousand Ghana Cedis] or to a term of imprisonment of not more than five years or both.”
He added that: “A person is taken to know that a communication is false or misleading if that person did not take reasonable steps to find out whether the communication was false, misleading, reckless or fraudulent.
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