Omane Boamah challenges the media to play Awuku’s tape

Minister of Communications Dr. Omane Boamah is challenging media houses to play a controversial tape purported to be the voice of an NPP Deputy Communications Director Sammy Awuku in which he made derogatory comments about judges set to give an important national ruling.

On Metro TV’s political analysis show Good Morning Ghana, the minister insisted that after listening to the tape, he can confirm that it was “clearly” Awuku’s voice.

On the tape, the opposition New Patriotic Party’s(NPP) Deputy Director of Communications is alleged to have claimed that of the 9 judges who are set to give an important ruling on who actually won the December 2012 Presidential Elections, 8 judges are sympathetic to his party’s cause.

Government has also initiated steps to procure a copy of the controversial tape recording to establish its authenticity.

Government also wants the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service to thoroughly investigate some issues raised in the tape which are deemed to be threats to national security.

But Sammy Awuku has been denying it is his voice and is claiming the tape was “doctored and fabricated”.

He has also threatened to sue any media house that persists in playing the tape because it is meant “to tarnish [his] image through this disingenuous way”.

Reacting to this development, Dr. Omane Boamah is challenging media houses to disregard this warning and play the tape for “cherished listeners to determine whether it was really his voice”.

This was despite the host, Randy Abbey, drawing his attention that listeners are not voice experts.

The minister crafted a suggestion that radio stations could use as a basis to play the tape. They could do this “without saying that [they are] playing Sammy Awuku’s voice”.

“You are not saying that it is Sammy Awuku’s voice. Play it. Let them listen to it”, he said.

He explained that because the NPP deputy Director of Communications is denying that it is his voice, he will not have any basis to sue that media house because the media outlet would not have mentioned his name.

“Where will be his locus” if he attempts to sue, the minister wondered.

He stated that the threat of a legal suit by itself implicates Awuku because if it is indeed fabricated, then there was nothing wrong if anyone played it without associating it with him.

A “particularly excited” minister dismissed the claim that the tape was “fabricated and doctored”.

He said if it is “fabricated” then it implies Awuku had no knowledge of it. But to add that it was “doctored” meant he knows it is his voice but someone had mimicked it.