The National Security Ministry has explained the circumstances that led to the arrest of two editors and the subsequent raid of the offices of media firm Modern Ghana on Thursday, June 27.
The explanation, given to the President of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA), justified the action taken against the online firm.
Speaking on TV3’s Midday Live on Friday, GJA chief Roland Affail Monney said the sector minister told him that the action was taken against Modern Ghana for allegations of cybercrime.
Mr Affail Monney explained that the media firm had been under investigation for some time now, according to the minister, and they had even hacked servers of their competitors and in some cases hacked into the financial accounts of other media firms.
“They said they have evidence to back this assertion,” the GJA President told news presenter Grace Hammoah Asare.
But he explained that the raid was not in connection with an article written on National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah as widely alleged.
He said the National Security Minister has no presidential ambitions as contained in the opinion piece posted on ModernGhana.com.
The invasion, according to the explanation, was just a coincidence.
Will GJA take action?
Mr Affail-Monney condemned the arrests of the two editors, insinuating that it is against press freedom, but said attempts to get them released is the reason why he contacted the Minister of National Security.
He said the Association’s next action will be informed by “incontrovertible facts” they get on the issue.
He said they are yet to speak to the Association’s lawyers over the issue.
What’s happening at Modern Ghana?
Meanwhile, there is no activity at the offices of Modern Ghana.
TV3‘s Johnnie Hughes reported that the two editors picked up on Thursday – Emmanuel Ajafor and Emmanuel Twum – are yet to be found.
Auxiliary staff said plain-clothed security officers bundled the two into a waiting vehicle for reasons yet to be known to them.
After the arrest, the officers returned to scour the offices for further evidence, Johnnie Hughes was told.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana