… As 4-Member Team Hijacks Administration Of Fund - Apology And Retraction

The Heritage in its 19th October 2011 edition published a story on its front page with a banner headline “ROT @ EDIF! … As 4-member team hijacks Administration of Fund” where we wrongly alleged massive fraud at the Export Development and Investment Fund and that procurement issues had been raised against Ms Addo concerning the alleged furnishing of her house. The natural and ordinary meaning of the said publication imputed corruption on the part of Ms Addo and were understood that MS Addo had wrongfully appropriated the resources of EDIF and had breached procurement rules.

The editorial board and the publisher of the Heritage have been served a writ of summons by Ms Cynthia Pamela Addo denying the allegations contained in the said publication and decided to investigate the details of the story.

After a thorough investigation the board and management acknowledge certain professional lapses and factual inaccuracies in the story. We found out that Ms Addo did not furnish her residence with funds from the EDIF Secretariat and has never appropriated funds from the secretariat for herself at all material times to the publication of the said article. It was further established that at no time have any such allegations been made against her, neither have any procurement issues been raised against her.

We regret all the embarrassment, distress and pain Ms Addo has suffered by reason of the false allegations made against her and wrongful publication of the story.

We hereby unreservedly apologise to Ms Cynthia Pamela Addo, the Director, Legal and Administration and the Acting Chief Executive of the Export Development Fund (EDIF) for the humiliation she has suffered as a result of the publication of the said story.

We therefore retract the entire story and once again apologise to her, her family, friends, colleagues, the Staff of EDIF and all those affected by the content of the said story.

This retraction and apology was published in the HERITAGE on Monday, January 23, 2012.