Press Statement By Rojo Mettle-Nunoo

PRESS STATEMENT BY ROJO METTLE-NUNOO ON THE ?DAILY GUIDE? FRONT PAGE STORY OF MARCH 10, 2006

My attention has been drawn to the ?Daily Guide? story of Friday March 10, 2006, with the sensational front-page headline, ?NDC?S ROJO ARRESTED OVER $38 MILLION COCAINE HAUL?.

The story is untrue, dishonest and a fabrication. I also believe it to be politically motivated, seeking as it does to tarnish my reputation and to impute moral turpitude to me.

Contrary to what the story states, I was not arrested and granted police enquiry bail in connection with a $38 million cocaine haul at East Legon. I do not deal in drugs; I have never dealt in drugs, and I do not associate with drug dealers.

The police invited me by phone last Thursday and on my arrival, an assembled panel questioned me about my relationship with a gentleman named Geraldo whom I had gotten to know in connection ! with my professional work as an artist, and whom I had assisted to establish a company in Ghana.

After that, I wrote out a statement repeating the answers I had given to the panel in which I confirmed that I did not know some two Venezuelan gentlemen who apparently had a connection with the Geraldo whom I know and who again apparently the police were investigating. I was then given self-recognisance bail.

My suspicion of political motivation for the ?Daily Guide? publication arises from the fact that the court action in which two NDC colleagues, Squadron Leader Sowu (Rtd.) and Kofi Porturphy and I, have challenged the Electoral Commission to publish the full and complete results of the 21,005 polling stations in the 2004 Presidential elections, comes up for hearing tomorrow, Tuesday 14th March 2006.

It is now an established pattern of the NPP Government to use institutions and newspapers li! ke the ?Daily Guide? to attack the personalities of individuals who criticise them or their polices and actions or individuals whose actions make them uncomfortable. The ?Daily Guide? smear story of last Friday falls into this pattern.

Meanwhile, I would like to assure the teeming supporters of the NDC that the ?Daily Guide? story is wholly untrue and to also advise the ?Daily Guide? that no amount of vile propaganda will discourage me from pursuing the legal action I have taken up against the Electoral Commission of Ghana. It is the same paper which published that the NPP MP for Nkoranza North, Eric Amoateng, who is facing heroin-trafficking charges in the USA had been freed. That story has also turned out to be a fabrication.

I have referred the matter to my lawyers and they are in the process of filing a libel action against the ?Daily Guide? and possibly the police.

Signed

Rojo Mettle-Nunoo