A Takoradi court has remanded journalist with Connect FM in Takoradi Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, and one other person Stephen Kumi for two weeks in an alleged fake kidnapping saga.
The two are standing trial after allegedly publishing what the Police describe as fake news regarding a supposed kidnapped incident.
The two were remanded after the court denied them bail on Thursday, November 4.
They have been charged with the publication of false news with the intent of causing fear and alarm to the public contrary to the Public Order Act, and false publication of news through an electronic device contrary to the Electronic Communications Act, 775 of 2008.
However, they have all pleaded not guilty to the charges proffered against them.
In his submission, Defence Counsel Calister Tetteh said: “I must say the two counts are dead on arrival. The three ingredients that must show for count 1 to stand must include the fact that a statement must be false and must be indeed a publication as well as the intent. For A1, there is no evidence that the information received from the girlfriend was false, and again the police have evidence that he paid some money which the police has removed from their fact sheet.
“So A1 must be treated as a victim. The police have not been able to tell the court that it is false that he actually had a relationship with the girl and didn’t publish anything to be guilty of the second count”.
“For A2, it is very unfortunate for him to find himself here. The fact does not in any way suggest that A2 made any false statement anywhere. A2 has never published any false news anywhere, as he didn’t publish the story on GhanaWeb. That story never attributed A2 as the source of that publication on GhanaWeb. The statement that A2 made said that the case has been reported to the Mpohor police and that was only a reported speech from the information given him by A2. On this note, I pray the court to grant A2 bail as he is well known in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis and ever ready to assist the police. For A1 he must be treated as a victim and granted bail as he has a family to stand for surety. Again, all these charges are all misdemeanour”, he said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana