Herald newspaper apologises to Hackman for defamatory publication

The Herald newspaper has apologised to the Board Chairman of the Ghana Cocoa board (COCOBOD), Hackman Owusu-Agyemang for publishing a defamatory story to dent his reputation.

The Herald Newspapers publication on Friday 5th May, 2017 captioned ‘COCOBOD disrespects Akufo-Addo’s ban on new cars’ sort to highlight rumours circulating on social media alleging that management has purchased a brand new 2017 V8 Toyota Land Cruiser for the Board Chairman, Hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang.

Contrary to the newspaper’s earlier report, the Herald stated that COCOBOD has NOT PURCHASED, neither has the Board initiated any procurement process to purchase new vehicles for 2017.

Read apology letter below

The Herald Newspapers publication of Friday 5th May, 2017 on the above-mentioned subject sort to highlight rumours circulating on social media alleging that management has purchased a brand new 2017 V8 Toyota Land Cruiser for the Board Chairman, Hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang.

We wish to state that the allegations are untrue and lack substance. The publication is a total deviation from what currently pertains at COCOBOD. It is not only complete a fabrication, but a calculated attempt by individuals or groups opposed to the development of the cocoa industry to divert our focus and create tension among actors on the cocoa value chain.

We wish to state for public records that COCOBOD has NOT PURCHASED, neither has the Board initiated any procurement process to purchase new vehicles for 2017. We therefore appeal to your newspaper to crosscheck the authenticity of issues relating to the operations of COCOBOD before publication.