International cable TV giants,Al Jazeera, have suggested that they do not owe PresidentNana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addoand the Ghana government an apology for the contents of the fourth installment of its Gold Mafia documentary.
Government via an April 25, 2023 letter signed by Nana Asante Bediatuo, demanded that Al Jazeera retracts and apologizes for portions of its documentary that suggested that Akufo-Addo had dealings with a self-acclaimed money-launderer and gold smuggler, Canadian Alistair Mathias.
Following the publication of the letter, a journalist with Accra-based TV3 wrote to the Doha-based channel seeking among others responses to whether the channel had received the letter demanding a retraction and apology from government and whether they would respond to same.
In a response shared on the May 4 edition of the News Day programme, TV3 published an email response from Al Jazeera which suggested that the channel had taken care of all concerns raised by Akufo-Addo before the said documentary aired.
“We have responded to the letter from the president of the Republic of Ghana, correcting some parts of its content and clarifying various points.
“Prior to the publication of Gold Mafia, we wrote to the president outlining the claims made by Alistair Mathias. The president’s response appears at the end of the documentary,” their response noted.
Sammy Gyamfi claims Akufo-Addo’s letter didn’t reach Doha
National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi alleged last weekend that government was only throwing its weight about in a letter threatening legal action against Doha-based international news channel, Al Jazeera.
The letter dated April 25 was in connection with the Gold Mafia serialized documentary in which president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is mentioned by a self-confessed money launderer, one Alistair Mathias; as a friend and one-time lawyer.
Sammy Gyamfi had sometime last week described the letter as ‘COMIC RELIEF’ but in his latest jibe at government he claimed that the said letter to Al Jazeera had yet to reach their team in Ghana let alone the headquarters in Doha, Qatar.
“The letter that Nana Asante Bediatuo has written and has brandished over social media and they are doing guy-guy, we have threatened Al Jazeera, we have given them seven days, I just checked and the letter has not reached Doha.
“The letter has not even reached the Ghanaian team here in Ghana representing Al Jazeera. So they are just throwing their weight about,” Sammy alleged on the April 29 edition of The Key Points, a political talk show on TV3.
“Can you intimidate Al Jazeera?” Sammy added before challenging the show host to also call the channel and confirm whether or not they had indeed received the said letter signed by secretary to the president, Nana Asante Bediatuo.
