Claim: Facebook user suggests an image of a huge uncompleted hotel is in Ghana Accra free zones and belongs to Jean Mensah, the EC Chairperson.
Findings show the image is a government owned yet-to-be completed hotel in Montenegro, not in Ghana.
Full Text
A Facebook user by name Marfo Passco shared an image of an uncompleted building and claimed the said building is an uncompleted hotel belonging to the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Jean Mensah.
The post is captioned,
“After rigging the election in favour of Nana Addo, take a look at what she is building with poor taxpayers money given to her by Nana Addo.”
In the post, Marfo Passco also asked,
“Where did Jean Mensah get the money to build this huge hotel in Ghana Accra free Zones? We are demanding the source of money used in financing the uncompleted hotel. This is the property of the Electoral Commissioner…”
This post has attracted reactions, particularly on the Facebook group by name Friends of Sammy Gyamfi.
Verification
Dubawa conducted an image reverse search and found out that the picture has been uploaded on alamy website, www.alamy.com, an online diverse photo stock collection and captioned “facade of unfinished and abandoned huge hotel in Montenegro” on 2nd October, 2019.
Another search conducted on Google Earth revealed that the building is the Hotel AS and is located in the Adriatic Coast in the area of Perazic Do, near the Spa town of Petrovac (Montenegro).
Moreover, an article titled “The Abandoned Hotel AS in Montenegro resembles the Titanic” published by waytomonye.com on 25th March 2018, confirms the existence of the building in Montenegro.
The article further stated that the hotel belongs to the government of Montenegro, formerly known as Yugoslavia but was sold on contract to a Serbian-Russian investor, Nega Tours, for the construction of the Hotel in 2002. However, the investor failed to fulfill the contract agreement and had the sale of the Hotel terminated by the Government in January 2016.
According to the report, the Country’s Attorney filed a criminal case against six people including the owner of Nega Tours, its deputies and others on suspicion that they provided the government of Montenegro false guarantees of 3 million Euros.
The Montenegro Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism through the Director of the Directorate for Tourism Development and Standards, Olivere Brajovic, mentioned in a statement dated 10th March, 2016 the filing of criminal charges against six persons in connection with the construction of Hotel AS.
In the course of fact checking this claim, Dubawa made attempts to reach the EC chairperson for her response but that has not been successful. This report will therefore be updated if her response is provided.
Conclusion
The circulated image of the huge uncompleted hotel stated to be in Accra free Zones of Ghana and belonging to Jean Mensah, the Electoral Commissioner, is false.
