(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On Monday 31 January 2000, a High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Apaloo sentenced Stephen Owusu, editor of the private newspaper “Free Press”, to one day in prison for publishing a story which is the subject matter of a legal battle currently before the court. The editor was also […]
(Free Expression Ghana/IFEX) – On Monday 31 January 2000, a High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Apaloo sentenced Stephen Owusu, editor of the private newspaper “Free Press”, to one day in prison for publishing a story which is the subject matter of a legal battle currently before the court. The editor was also fined the sum of one million Cedis or will have to serve an additional twenty-one days in prison.
Owusu is said to have made comments, and formed his own opinion, in a case in which four share holders of the Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited (AGC) are seeking to unseat its board of directors.
A front page story in the 26 January to 1 February issue of “Free Press” made an anouncement that two more share holders of the company have joined the suit filed by the four others, and that this action reinforces the shareholdersâ disatisfaction with the board and management of the company.
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Entitled "More on AGC CRISES", the story went on to say, among other things, that their investigation had shown that while the company's fortunes are declining, the board members and other top management staff secured lucrative AGC contracts.
While passing judgement, the court said the editorâs conduct was reprehensible because he mentioned in his publication that “Free Press” conducted its own investigation into the case which is before the court.
