Gabby: I did not apologise to E T and will never apologise to him

Asare "Gabby" Otchere-Darko, the Editor-in-Chief of The Statesman has described as "misleading" a story posted on www.myjoyonline.com (the website of Joy FM) with the headline "Gabby Otchere Darko apologizes to ET Mensah."

The Joy story said Gabby "has apologised to the NDC MP for Ningo Prampram, ET Mensah for any inconvenience caused him following his (Gabby's) mentioning of his name in relation to an alleged plot to kill Haruna Iddrisu."

But, speaking on various radio stations yesterday, including Joy FM, Gabby insisted that he never apologised to the NDC MP for Ningo Prampram and will never apologise to him over this matter.

Gye Nyame Concord and the Ghanaian Observer published last week that some unnamed NDC members, including two MPs from the regions of Greater Accra and Volta, attended a meeting or meetings where a conspiracy was hatched to assassinate Haruna Iddrisu, NDC MP for Tamale South.

As the myjoyonline report said, "Otchere Darko, however, mentioned the names of ET Mensah and Doe Adjaho last Friday on Adom FM as the NDC MPs thought to have participated in the diabolical meeting. But he quickly discounted the suggestions that the two MPs, whom he described as honourable men incapable of the alleged plot, could be part of plans to kill Haruna, if indeed the plot was true."

When asked about the libel writ purportedly filed against him and Adom FM yesterday by the two MPs, Gabby described it as "not at all worrying." In his view this could be a test case since defamation involves attacking another"s reputation by a false publication (communication to a third party) tending to bring the person into disrepute.

Gabby argues that he did no more than to suggest that the two MPs could never be part of a deal. How that could constitute defamation of character is yet to be seen.

ET Mensah had threatened to sue Gabby to force a disclosure from him about the source that pointed him out as a participant of that meeting.

But Gabby told Adom FM on Thursday that he did not mean harm when he mentioned those names and at worst, could have been said to have helped clear the two gentlemen from the allegations rather than be sued for defamation.