The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has rendered an unqualified apology to Adom FM’s news editor, Afia Pokua, and two of her colleagues whose human rights were abused by officers at Ablekuma in Accra, in September 2014.
The Authority in a statement said it found the officers unlawfully interfered with and violated the rights of the multimedia journalists to do their constitutionally guaranteed duties as journalists.
“The Authority deplores the incidents that occurred 11th September 2014 at the Ablekuma Sub-Metro office of the NHIA, when the named persons, in the line of duty, were caught up in an unusual and unfortunate altercation” the statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Directorate, NHIA has said.
The High Court (Human Rights Division) last year gave a judgment in favour of Adom FM’s news editor, Afia Pokua, and two of her colleagues whose human rights were abused by National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) officers at Ablekuma in Accra, in September 2014.
Court of Appeal judge, Justice A.M. Domakyaareh, sitting as an additional High Court Judge held on the 23rd of June 2016 that the rights of the journalists were abused.
The court also ordered a written apology to be published in a national daily within 14 days and a compensation of GHC 7,500.00 to be paid to the journalists.
But Lawyers for the NHIA filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal and proceeded to the Human Rights Court to stay execution of the judgment pending the outcome of the appeal.
On January 12, 2017, the judge hearing the case said the NHIA and their lawyers failed to show up in court to argue their case and did not also give any reasons for their absence in court.
She, therefore, struck out the application, awarding cost of GHC500.00 against them.
Below is the full statement:
