Minister Sues Nwspaper For ¢1.5billion

The Deputy Minister for Education and Sports, Mr. Osei Bonsu Amoah has instructed his lawyers to proceed with legal action against the Enquirer newspaper, its publishers and editor, Raymond Archer.

The intended legal suit, for which Mr. Amoah is asking ¢1.5billion in damages is in line with a front page news carried in last Monday's edition of the paper which linked Mr. Amoah, the minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo and the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the CAN 2008 to an alleged bribery connected to the awards of stadium constructions contracts.

Speaking to the Graphic in an interview yesterday, Mr. Amoah said he had instructed his legal team headed by Mr. Atta Akyea to take that action to clear his name, hard earned image and reputation. He described as malicious the story that there had been an alleged case of bribery of about $20million to influence the decision to award the stadia contracts to a Chinese firm. According to Mr. Amoah, throughout the process of tendering bids from interested parties, he had particularly ensured that the due process had been followed as required by law and was thus shocked that he would be linked to such a scandal.

"I challenge Mr. Archer who did not only write his story based on information from another paper, but went further to indict me in the scandal to prove that mine or any of those names mentioned are indeed linked to the story, otherwise he should be prepared to answer and prove his case in court," an irritated Amoah said.

Last Monday, the Enquirer carried a story on its front page which alleged that there had been a reported case of bribery to influence the decision to award the construction of the stadia for the 2008 Nations Cup which Ghana will host in favour of a Chinese firm.

According to the Enquirer, the alleged bribery case was carried by the Dispatch who in turn said it had a tip off from an insider from the New Patriotic Party who had written an open letter to the president to lodge his company.

Meanwhile the deputy minister has given the assurance hat the ministry will not do anything that will dent the image of the government with regard to the contracts.