Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has denied some media reports suggesting that the Chief Executive Officer of Engineers & Planners, Ibrahim Mahama, has given him up to seven days to delete some pages of his latest book that tarnishes his image.
Mr Azure said this while responding to a demand from Mr Mahama’s lawyers, asking him to retract and apologise for some false claims he made in his latest book The President Ghana Never Got against him or be sued.
The book suggests that the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), formerly known as Merchant Bank, faced controversy in 2013 when it was sold to the private equity firm Fortiz.
According to the author, FirstRand Bank of South Africa was said to be willing to pay GH₵176million for 75% of Merchant Bank’s shares, while Fortiz offered only GH₵90million for 90% of the shares in the state-owned bank.
“The controversy deepened when it emerged that a brother of President John Mahama, Ibrahim Mahama, was one of the big debtors of the then Merchant Bank, which resulted in the bank’s struggles,” portions of the book read.
In response to these claims, Mr Ibrahim Mahama, through his solicitors, is demanding a retraction of the publication and an apology, asserting that the information was false.
In response to Mr Mahama, the investigative journalist stood by the claims made in the book, but said he has forwarded the demands of Mr Mahama to his lawyers, and that the matter will soon be addressed.
“I have received calls about the news that Ibrahim Mahama has given me seven days to delete pages 89 and 90 of my book because the information is inaccurate. That is not accurate. Mr. Ibrahim Mahama’s lawyers have written to me concerning a paragraph of the book in the chapter on the economy.
“That paragraph says Ibrahim Mahama was indebted to Merchant Bank when it was sold in 2013. His lawyers say it was a company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, Engineers and Planners, which owed the bank, not Ibrahim Mahama. I have forwarded their demands to my lawyers and the matter will be addressed soon” Mr Azure said.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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