Richmond Duke Keelson, Executive Editor of The Today newspaper
MANAGEMENT OF Amansan TV (ATV) an Accra-based television station, has alleged that they have received threats against the lives of two of its staff – a presenter at the television station, and the Executive Editor of one of its sister companies, The Today Newspaper – from some individuals believed to be staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) last week.
They also called on the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry for the Interior and the Inspector-General of the Ghana Police Service (GSP) and other state security agencies for protection for the lives of their staff as well as those of their families.
Threats
According to Management of the TV station at a press conference said the lives of the political show host on ATV, Atta Kwaku Boadi, and the Executive Editor of The Today newspaper, Richmond Duke Keelson, are in danger as “some persons, who identified themselves as senior officials of the GRA” called [on phone] to threaten them and went on to force them to disclose their sources of income or they (the alleged GRA staff) would descend on them.
The TV host, they claimed, was not given “any breather at all to answer to their inquisitions”, and insisted that, “clearly, by their statement of intent, they swore to inflict pain on the gentleman.”
“You think you can sit on your television to say anything that you like. We will come after people like you. There’s pressure from the headquarters to find out your sources of income”, the caller is quoted to have said by Management.
Quoting a second caller from the GRA, Management said a “superior GRA official who was given the phone by the first official told them to “Tell us the sources of all your incomes or we deal with you. You and your likes in the media are the targets of the GRA because there are orders from above to deal with such loud-mouthed and anti-establishment journalists like your types.”
Publication
As to what may have warranted the threats, Management said: “We discovered from our investigations that the GRA leadership has been very nervy about the Today newspaper and [its] sister station, ATV’s investigative report about how the Authority connived with multi-national bank, Ecobank Ghana, to rip Ghana off some GHS73.8 million in tax revenues. That story was published by The Today newspaper on September 12, 2022.”
Report
Management said they however made a report to the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, on the threat and equally furnished him with the telephone numbers of the two gentlemen who promised to deal with the matter.
Second Threat
Management continued that another anonymous caller with a private number last Wednesday, threatened to deal with the Executive Editor, Richmond Keelson for allegedly backing his editor “to destroy the GRA”.
“You people think you have newspaper and TV station to write and say anything stupid that you like. Be prepared for us. We will deal with your companies and yourselves at the right time”, the second caller is quoted to have said.
“The caller went on, warning us to desist from carrying on with our investigations into some mainstream petroleum companies that have allegedly, evaded taxes resulting in the loss of billions of dollars to the State”, Management said.
Plea
“We wish to reiterate that our lives are under the care of the National Security Minister and the others heading our security apparatus.
We fear something unpleasant may happen to us.”
BY Nii Adjei Mensahfio