Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has rendered apologies to Ghanaian businessman, Ibrahim Mahama, for wrongfully accusing him in his latest book, ‘The President Ghana Never Got.’
Mr Azure had alluded that the businessman owed a huge sum to Merchant Bank (now Universal Merchant Bank, UMB), which contributed to its eventual collapse in 2013.
The claim, which was subsequently contested by Ibrahim Mahama, prompted the investigative journalist to respond to the businessman, maintaining that the information in his book was accurate.
In a post shared on his X account on Monday, August 26, 2024, Manasseh Azure acknowledged the mistake made in his book and offered an apology to Ibrahim Mahama.
The post, titled…, “RETRACTION AND APOLOGY,” the journalist wrote:
“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 apologise for any adverse effect that may have been occasioned by said publication.”
Mr. Azure noted that he is working to correct the errors in both the online versions of his book and in the new copies that will be printed.
Read his full apology below:
RETRACTION AND APOLOGY
Businessman Mr. Ibrahim Mahama has, through his lawyers, brought to my attention a fact that needs correction, and I hereby do so unreservedly.
i. In my latest book, “The President Ghana Never Got”, I discussed the banking crisis under the Akufo-Addo administration and how some banks were saved from possible collapse.
ii. 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.
iii. 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.
iv. Consequently, I retract the said reference to Ibrahim Mahama as the debtor and apologise for any adverse effect that may have been occasioned by said publication.
v. It was a genuine oversight, which I am taking immediate steps to correct in the online version of the book and in subsequent reprints.
Manasseh Azure Awuni
August 26, 2024.