National Cyber Security Centre joins govt to debunk reports state official arrested in UK

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has said an audio circulating on social media purporting to be a news report from an international news outlet suggesting that a Ghana government official has been caught laundering cash into the UK is false.

According to the agency, forensic examination it has conducted on the audio reveals the audio was computer-generated using available technologies for fictitious audio-visual creation and manipulation.

“The Centre is working with the Police CID and other security agencies to identify the sources of this and other false materials being generated and bring them to book,” it said.

The Centre warned the public that the production of such misleading information is a crime under Section 115 of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772) and Section 159 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

"The NCSC wishes to draw the attention of the public that circulating such fictitious content breaches the law under Section 76 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775):

(1)'“A person who by means of electronic communications service, knowingly sends a communication which is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life-saving service or to endanger the safety of any person, ship, aircraft, vessel or vehicle commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than three thousand penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than five years or both.

(2) 'A person is taken to know that a communication is false or misleading if that person did not take reasonable steps to find out whether the communication was false, misleading, reckless or fraudulent,'" the Centre said in a statement.

It said law enforcement agencies have therefore been alerted about the ongoing circulation of the audio and offenders would be arrested and prosecuted under the law.

Earlier, government through the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said none of its official has been arrested with 26 million pounds in the UK.

He said it is also untrue that UK authorities have intercepted a haul of cash from Ghana to the UK.

Read the full statement below: