Mr Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah, Deputy Director of Communications for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called on the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, to arrest the individuals responsible for the publication of the controversial Agyapadie document.
The 38-page document, released on the website www.awakenewsroom.com, has sparked significant controversy, featuring the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, on its cover and President Nana Akufo-Addo and his late father on the subsequent page.
The document allegedly outlines strategies for a particular ‘family’ or ‘clan’ to dominate various sectors, including the economy, politics, media, judiciary, telecommunications, and banking.
President Akufo-Addo has dismissed the content of the document, describing it as fictional.
Mr Owusu-Bempah in a statement dated August 6, 2024 cited Chapter 5, Article 21 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, and Chapter 12, Article 162, which outlines the freedom and responsibilities of the media.
Mr Owusu- Bempah highlighted the legal framework that prohibits the dissemination of false information.
He referred to the 1960 Criminal Offenses Act (Act 29) and the Electronic Communications Act 2008 (Act 775), both of which criminalize the publication of false information that can cause public unrest or endanger public safety.
“The 1960 Criminal Offenses Act specifies that any false publication with the tendency to cause public unrest is a misdemeanour. Ignorance of the falsehood is not a defense unless reasonable measures were taken to verify the content,” Owusu-Bempah stated.
“The Electronic Communications Act also makes it an offense to knowingly send false communication that endangers public safety or the efficiency of life-saving services.”
Mr Owusu-Bempah called for a thorough investigation into the Agyapadie publication and urged the police to identify and punish those responsible under the relevant sections of the Criminal Offenses Act.
He accused the publishers of Awake News and their collaborators of frequently disseminating fake news without facing consequences.
“As a country, we cannot allow the NDC to continue spreading falsehoods and then dismiss them as politics,”Mr Owusu- Bempah declared.
“The publishers of Awake News must face the full rigours of the law to deter them from using social media to create confusion.”
Mr Owusu-Bempah emphasised the urgency of the situation, urging Dr. Dampare to take immediate action against those behind the publication of the Agyapadie document.
