[ 2012-07-19 ]

Police question journalist for investigating a mining firm
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of
the Ghana Police Monday arrested and detained a
Ghanaian journalist at the instance of a
Canadian-Ghanaian mining firm while performing his
legitimate duties.

Pascal Kudiabor, who works with the
www.ghanabusinessnews.com, an online business
journal, said he was picked up from the Accra
premises of Emmaland Cardero Mining Company
Limited, a foreign mining firm operating the
Sheini Iron Ore Mines in the Zabzugu-Tatale
District of the Northern Region, near Tamale, some
658 km north of the capital, while there for an
interview.

The police however took Kudiabor to their office
at the police headquarters where they interrogated
him.

According to the Managing Editor of
www.ghanabusinessnews, Emmanuel Dogbevi, who was
later asked to report at the CID headquarters,
Monday’s visit was the second the reporter had
made to the office of the mining firm to
investigate a story concerning the Sheini Hills
project.

“I was therefore surprised to receive a call from
my reporter that the CID had arrested him on the
premises of the company and were taking him to
their headquarters,” Dogbevi told this reporter.

According to Dogbevi, the reporter had been
investigating a story about iron ore in Ghana and
the name of the company happened to feature in it.


The reporter therefore sent a questionnaire to the
company seeking permission to visit their mining
site in Zabzugu District.

“Upon my return, I requested to have an interview
with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the
company, one Emmanuel Kwesi Ababio,” the reporter
noted.

Upon reaching the office, Kudiabor said the CEO
asked him to wait in his office in the company of
the Public Relations Officer and another official.


“About 30 minutes later, Ababio reappeared with
two people who introduced themselves as detectives
who had been sent by their boss, Deputy
Superintendent of Police (DSP) Inkoom, to invite
me to the CID Headquarters.”

According to him, the police said Ababio reported
that he had been suspicious of the journalist’s
activities, claiming he had been prying into their
affairs.

Kudiabor, who also reports for the
www.fighana.com, said although he produced his
press card issued by the Financial Intelligence,
operators of thewww.fighana.com, the police
insisted on taking a statement from him.

When reached for his comments, the Public Affairs
Director of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy
Superintendent of Police Cephas Arthur, expressed
shock and disgust at the behavior of the CID but
said he would investigate and get back to the
media.

International and Public Relations Officer of
Emmaland-Cardero, Paries Augusta Nyeswah declined
to comment on the issue when contacted.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists
Association (GJA) Bright Blewu has also expressed
serious concern about the way the Ghana police had
been going about inviting journalists who were
doing their legitimate work.

He cited the example of two editors, Malik Kwaku
Barko of the New Crusading Guide and Ebo Quansah
of the Ghanaian Chronicle who were invited by the
police CID last month to state the sources of
stories they had published.

“The constitution does not allow anybody to compel
a journalist to disclose the source of a published
news item,” Blewu reiterated.

Source - Justice Lee Adoboe

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