It was an oversight. Manasseh Begs Ibrahim Mahama over false claims in new book: Correction Underway.
Controversial Journalist, Manasseh Azuri Awuni has rendered an unqualified apology to Ibrahim Mahama, over what he terms as ‘‘a genuine oversight’’ regarding some claims he made in his book, ‘The President Ghana Never got.’
This comes on the back of letter to Manasseh by Lawyers of Ibraham Mahama over sections of his book that suggested that prior to the sale of Merchant Bank to its current owners, Ibrahim Mahama was indebted to the Bank, a situation which led to the Bank’s floundering financial fortunes and subsequent sale.
However, in a letter to the journalist, Lawyers for Ibrahim Mahama noted that Manasseh’s publications that suggests Ibrahim Mahama was indebted to Merchant Bank were untrue.
They clarified that in February 2014, Engineers and Planners, the company which Ibrahim Mahama owns, paid 28 million as full and final settlement to Merchant Bank, clarifying that it was Engineers and Planners Company which owed Merchant Bank and not Ibrahim Mahama.
Consequently, they demanded Manasseh to render an unqualified apology and, failing which could result in a legal suit against Manasseh Azure.
In keeping with the demands of the Lawyers, Manasseh in an apology on his X account, partly stated:
‘‘In providing a background to the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) and the circumstances under which its new owners acquired it in 2013, I mentioned the controversy that arose when it emerged that one of the big debtors of the erstwhile Merchant Bank was Mr. Mahama.’’
‘‘The fact is that the $28 million debt I referenced was owed by his company, Engineers and Planners Company Limited, the legal entity, and not Mr. Mahama personally. Consequently, I retract the said reference to Ibrahim Mahama as the debtor and apologize for any adverse effect that may have been occasioned by said publication,’ he added.
According to the journalist his publication as reference was a genuine oversight, which he is taking immediate steps to correct the online version of the book and in subsequent reprints.