Entertainment pundit Vida Adutwumwaa believes that the State should punish Chief Ebenezer Smith for his grand deception amidst the cook-a-thon controversy.

According to the Entertainment pundit, Chef Smith needs to be punished to deter others from doing the same.

“If he is let go without consequences, others may be encouraged to engage in similar acts because Smith faced no repercussions.”

"He should not be let off the hook. What he did was criminal and he must be punished. If we do not hold him accountable, others may follow suit," she said during a panel discussion on the subject on Accra-based UTV.

"We should not condone such behavior. A media outlet covered the entire cook-a-thon for a month without realizing it was fake," Adutwumwaa told show host MzGee.

"If we do not punish individuals like him, we may wake up one day to someone claiming to be the new president after swearing an oath, only to later apologize for their actions," she warned.

Background

Ghanaian Chef Ebenezer Smith conducted his cooking marathon from February 1 to March 6, 2024, at Amadia Shopping Centre located at Spintex, Accra.

On July 2, 2024, Chef Smith claimed to have set a new record for the longest cooking marathon.

However, his claim was disputed by Guinness World Records (GWR), which stated they never received an application from him, the certificate he presented was not recognized by GWR, and the official record is still held by Alan Fisher of Ireland.