Joy FM apologises to NIB boss over alleged defamatory claims made by NDC’s Isaac Adongo
Host of “Top Story,” Evans Mensah, issued the apology after reading in full, a press statement issued by the National Investment Bank (NIB)
An Accra-based radio station, Joy FM, has apologised to the managing director of the National Investment Bank (NIB), Samuel Sarpong, for allowing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, to use their platform to make alleged defamatory remarks against him.
Host of “Top Story,” Evans Mensah, on 5 October 2023, edition of the programme, issued the apology after reading in full, a press statement issued by the communications directorate of the NIB, denying the claims made by Isaac Adongo, on Joy FM.
“We are unable to independently verify that claim [Isaac Adongo’s claim] and we duly apology to the managing director [of NIB] for any injury that this might have caused him and the bank” Evans Mensah said.
Mr Adongo in an interview on Joy FM’s “Top Story” programme on 28 September 2023, allegedly stated that the Managing Director of NIB was for one year managing the Bank via Zoom.
The Board and Management of the NIB in a letter to Mr Isaac Adongo demanding a retraction and an apology from him, said they take extreme exception to the claims made in the said statements, particularly since it had no substance or factual basis and appeared skewed just to bring the hard-won image of the Bank into disrepute.
Lawyers for the MD of NIB subsequently wrote to the Multimedia Group Limited, owners of Joy FM, to demand a retraction and an apology from the station as well.
“Our client instructs as to say that the said statements made on the Top Story and further published by you on Myjoyonline.com are misleading, scandalous, demeaning, and without any truth.
“The statements seek to promote the malicious narrative being purported by the honourable Member of Parliament to mean that our client has neglected his sacred duties entrusted to him by the government of Ghana.
“This narrative seeks to mean to the ordinary person, the general public, and all persons in his line of work that our client is irresponsible, incompetent, and not a credible person to deal with” lawyers for the NIB boss stated in their letter to the Multimedia Group.
“Our client instructs us to say that the said statements made by honourable Isaac Adongo are clearly untrue and the statements and the subsequent publication on your website is an attempt to destroy his hard-earned reputation and to bring his image and reputation before the international world into disrepute” Mr Sarpong’s lawyers further stated.
To this end, lawyers of the NIB boss indicated in their letter to the owners of Joy FM that they have the instruction of their client to give Joy FM notice, “to apologise, retract, and delete the malicious, baseless, and destructive statements made about him on the “Top Story” show, the publication on your website and from all social media platforms dated the 28 September 2023 within forty-eight hours (48) of receipt of this letter by undertaking the following:
“Issue a Statement of Retraction and Apology to our Client and the staff and management of the National Investment Bank
“Pull down all social media publications of the interviews granted by Honourable Adongo on the above-mentioned subject matter defaming the client.
“Expunge the defamatory content titled NIB MD managed bank from Canada via zoom for close to a year – Isaac Adongo and published at ttps://www.mujoyonline.com/nib-md-managed-bank-from-canada-via-zoom-for-close-to-a-year-isaac-adongo/ from your records and websites
“Cause an apology to be published with the same prominence as the defamatory matter was made” the letter written by lawyer Richmond Numbo Sakaa, to Multimedia Group on behalf of the NIB boss read.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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