The Office of the President is demanding an immediate retraction and an unqualified apology from Aljazeera for its Gold Mafia documentary.
The International Media Organization has been given a seven-day ultimatum within which to withdraw the documentary and apologize for airing an ‘unprofessional and defamatory documentary.’
A letter from the Presidency signed by Secretary to the President, Asante Bediatuo said, “I am instructed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to demand formally that Al Jazeera Media Network (“Al Jazeera”) retract immediately and apologise for airing an inaccurate and unfair documentary that contained spurious and unsubstantiated allegations against the President and the Government of Ghana.”
The move follows the damning investigative documentary dubbed ‘Gold Mafia by Aljazeera into Zimbabwe’s gold smuggling and money laundering syndicates recently.
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Ghana featured conspicuously in the documentary in which undercover journalists posing as Chinese gangsters engaged one Alistair Mathias to help clean their dirty money.
Mr Alistair who is described in the piece as a Financial Architect told the Aljazeera reporters posing as criminals that he had a track record of successfully orchestrating such syndicates.
He claimed to be instrumental in designing money laundering schemes for many corrupt politicians in Africa.
He named Ghana as one of the countries where he had executed similar schemes adding that he is good friends with its President who he also claims used to be his lawyer.
According to Jubilee House, however, claims that the President acted as a lawyer for Mr. Alistair Mathias and personally benefitted unlawfully from an alleged $100m state infrastructure contract purportedly awarded to Mr. Mathias were baseless.
Mr. Bediatuo revealed that in a letter dated 11th April, 2023, responding to Al Jazeera’s letter of 2nd April, 2023, which was received on 6th April, 2023, containing these vague and defamatory allegations, the Legal Counsel to the President, Mr. Kow Abaka Essuman, acting on the instructions of the President, informed Al Jazeera the President had not been in private practice since the year 2000 and that the President had no recollection of acting as a lawyer, either personally or through his law firm, Messrs. Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co, for a Mr. Alistair Mathias or his company, Guldrest Resources.
“In those circumstances, further and better particulars were demanded from Al Jazeera to respond adequately to the allegations made in Al Jazeera’s letter.”
“Al Jazeera was thus requested to provide information on the period for which the President allegedly provided legal representation to Mr. Alistair Mathias or his company, Guldrest Resources.”
“Furthermore, Al Jazeera was requested to provide details of the “USD 100 million tender for state Infrastructure”, allegedly given to Mr. Mathias, which he outsourced and kept a percentage in offshore accounts, as stated in the letter as well as information on how the President personally benefited unlawfully from the alleged “USDgold 100 million tender for state Infrastructure.”
Aljazeera, he said, refused or failed to these details as requested and went ahead with the broadcast of the documentary, “At the end of which, a terse text was shown contradicting the content of the documentary.”
According to the letter, the subject of the Gold Mafia documentary, Mr. Alistair Mathias, also denied what he said in the documentary to Al Jazeera’s investigative journalist.
“In light of these blatant denials by Mr. Alistair Mathias and the response from Mr. Essuman, those parts of the documentary ought not to have been included because those statements were not true.”
“Accordingly, those parts of the documentary are malicious, defamatory, and a calculated attempt to tarnish the reputation of the President and Government of Ghana.”
“It is therefore demanded that Al Jazeera withdraws the documentary immediately, retracts and apologise to the President and the Government of Ghana for airing such an unprofessional and defamatory documentary.”
“It is imperative that you act forthwith on this request within seven (7) days from the date of receipt of this letter. Please confirm receipt of this letter and your intention to take the necessary action as requested,” the letter demanded.