"Daily Guide" Editor apologises to court for publication

Mr. Justice Kwame Afreh, presiding over the Fast Track Court, on Wednesday warned the Editor of the "Daily Guide", Mrs. Gina Ama Blay to be circumspect in whatever she publishes to avoid being charged with criminal contempt.

The court gave the warning after Mrs. Blay apologised to the court for writing an article which, to the court, could prejudice the trial of two former Ministers of state and three others, charged with conspiracy and wilfully causing financial loss to the state.

The court said the publication was not fair to the accused persons, neither was it fair to the Ex-President, Jerry John Rawlings and Mars Juliet Woodard Cotton, Managing Director of the Quality Grain Company.

Mr. Justice Afreh said the court accepted the apology but stressed that the Editor "must check her facts well and be circumspect in articles published in the paper".

Senior Counsel for one of the accused persons, Mr. Kwaku Baah, had objected to the publication during Tuesday's sitting because to him, it was prejudicial to the trial and the court ordered the Editor to appear before it.

The court told the President of Private Newspapers and Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) Nana Kofi Coomson to advise and organise seminars for its members on the need to be accurate in reporting court proceedings.

Mr. Coomson, who is also the Managing Editor of the "Ghanaian Chronicle", on behalf of the Editor made the verbal apology and added that the paper, in the Wednesday edition apologised for the publication.

He said he would comply with the court's advice and promised that such errors would never recur.

Earlier, Mr. Kwame Boateng, Counsel for Mrs. Blay pleaded with the court to accept the apology since the paper had retracted the publication.