Editorial News of Monday, 6 October 1997

Source: --

THE GHANAIAN CHRONICLE

The Chronicle reports that a fresh wave of trouble has erupted at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), one month after 'sparks flew over' the authenticity of the paper's report on the "Capital Telecom Fraud and SDCI" affair. In a fronf page story under the banner headline: "Serious Fraud Office in Trouble", the Chronicle says 34 employees of the SFO, whose appointments were terminated in May, this year, are threatening to take the SFO to court over its failure to meet their terminal benefits. According to the aggrieved employees, theirbenefits include payment of their June 1997 salary, commutal of their accumulated leave to cash, payment in lieu of notice and their end-of-service benefits. GRI

Another front page story in the Chronicle says the Attorney- General and Minister of Justice, Dr Obed Asamoah, has said the pproliferation of tabloids has led to a circulation war in which rumours and lies about prominent persons are being peddled as facts. Dr Asamoah who was opening the annual conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) at Ho, said fines imposed by the courts are not enough to discourage the press from maligning people because they make enough money from exploiting the names of their victims and thus make the risk-taken in carrying out repeated libel wotrthwhile. GRI