(CEMESP/IFEX) ? “The News” newspaper, one of Liberia’s leading dailies, has been threatened with a lawsuit by Liberia’s assistant finance minister, Aletha Browne. Assistant Minister Browne, in her communications to the management of “The News”, threatened to file a legal action against the newspaper for defamation. The assistant minister’s threat followed an article published in […]
(CEMESP/IFEX) ? “The News” newspaper, one of Liberia’s leading dailies, has been threatened with a lawsuit by Liberia’s assistant finance minister, Aletha Browne.
Assistant Minister Browne, in her communications to the management of “The News”, threatened to file a legal action against the newspaper for defamation.
The assistant minister’s threat followed an article published in the 30 August 2006 edition of “The News”, entitled “Checks Scam at Finance Ministry”.
The newspaper reported the disappearance of almost one hundred cheques at the Ministry of Finance. The cheques were intended to pay the salaries of some employees in the Liberian government.
The assistant minister, who admitted that she was contacted by the newspaper prior to the publication of the story, described the article as “trash” and maintained that she would sue the newspaper because her version on the alleged cheques scan was not published in detail.
The management of the newspaper, represented by Managing Editor Sheriff Adams, says it stands by the story.
