Ethics Committee of GJA still on Tarzan

The Ethics Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on Tuesday reaffirmed that Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Energy Adviser to the President, refused to substantiate his allegation of bribery against journalists when he appeared before it.

Instead, Dr Wereko-Brobbey insisted "he will only do that before a Commission of Enquiry."

A statement signed by Frances Ademola, Chairperson of the committee, said Dr Wereko-Brobby failed "to cooperate with us in giving us the names of the journalists, who he specifically said, were taking bribes in black polythene bags."

Reacting to pronouncements made by Dr Wereko-Brobbey during an interview with Joy FM, the statement said there were deliberate misrepresentation of what happened.

It said Dr Wereko-Brobby never offered to arrange for any member of the committee to have confidential discussion with any of the three persons he named as his 'leads'.

The statement said Dr Wereko-Brobby told the committee that once, while he was with Mr D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President, a journalist telephoned the President on the "Sahara Issue" and demanded a bribe.

The statement quoted Mrs Ademola as saying that Dr Wereko-Brobby asked her to telephone President Kufuor to verify but "I thought it would be both disrespectful and inappropriate to telephone the President of Ghana to verify such a matter."

The committee wrote to Mr Osei, suggesting a discussion on the matter with Mr Kweku Rockson, a member of the committee but Mr Osei was not available and did not respond to the letter.

"This is what Dr Wereko-Brobby describes as 'formal approaches which were completely inappropriate and not surprisingly rebuffed."

The statement said, Mr Ben Ephson, Editor of 'The Dispatch', who was the third lead, denied knowledge of any journalist taking bribe in the coverage of the "Sahara Affair."

Mr Ephson said his refusal to carry a story, which later appeared in another newspaper, was no basis for suspecting that a reporter had been bribed.