.Threatens Legal Action Politics

The Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, is threatening legal action against the Editor of the Searchlight newspaper for a publication that the Minister says defames him.

The Daily Searchlight in a publication on Thursday August 12, reports that "at a time when Ghanaians are struggling to make ends meet, amidst strong protests of suffering from all quarters, officials of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government are grabbing properties left and right as if there is no tomorrow. They are building as if building materials are going to run out in the very nearest future!," claims the newspaper.

According to the Daily Searchlight, one such government official is the Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who it alleges, has put up a magnificent 8 bedroom mansion situated behind the Housing Finance Company (HFC) at Baatsona on the Spintex Road, barely two years as a public official!

But in an interview with Alhassan Suhini, host of Radio Gold's Morning Show programme, the Eastern Regional Minister labeled the publication as a "pack of falsehood".

Whiles admitting that he is indeed putting up a housing facility in the area, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo explained that it was a 6 bedroom not an 8 bedroom house. According to him, in 1998 when he bought the land, the place was covered with Nim trees and he began laying the foundation in 1999.

".there are witnesses who can testify that the building had reached roofing level before the NDC came to power," he added.

The witnesses, he said, included the Baatsona Home Owners Association.

According to him, the building at the centre of controversy is not tiled neither had any painting job been done on it, adding that it was strange someone "could do such a publication in his wildest imagination."

".not even my ex-gratia awards can complete the building within the time frame Ken Kuranchie speculated. I have asked my lawyers to standby and I am waiting for him to retract and apologize to me," Mr. Ofosu Ampofo said.

The Hon Minister disclosed that currently, he resides in a rented apartment, and questioned if putting up a home was such a wrong thing to do.

He threatened to haul Mr. Ken Kuranchie to court for defamation if he "does not retract the lies he published," adding that the Searchlight Editor had acquired the penchant of going round "ruining the reputation of people who have worked hard."