Claim: social media users claim a screenshot of a DW Africa post on the resignation of Mr. Amidu is fake.
From the evidence provided, it is true that DW Africa authored the said post. Dubawa could not also find any evidence of a disclaimer by DW Africa on the said post. Therefore, the claim that the said Facebook post is fake, is false.
Full text
The resignation of Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has been greeted with mixed reactions from Ghanaians.
While some commend Mr. Amidu for his decision to quit, others think he should have stayed on and fought to the end.
The Special Prosecutor resigned on Monday, November 16, citing interference from the government.
The issue has attracted the attention of a number of international media outlets.
A screenshot of a Facebook post said to be made by DW Africa is being widely shared on various social media platforms.
The post reads:
Ghana’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Martin Amidu has resigned. The former attorney general accuses President Nana Akufo-Addo of political interference. Amidu said he had become convinced “that I was not intended to exercise any independence” in the job. The prosecutor said he quit after the president tried to get him to “shelve” a report on a plan to sell the country’s future gold royalties to an offshore firm that involved the finance minister, who is also the president’s cousin. Should Ghana be worried about this development?
However, some social media users, including Fiifi Asempa Baidoo, Enoch Kofi Nyarkoh, Kwesi Reynolds, among others, claim the screenshot being circulated is fake.
Another screenshot of the post, with “fake page” embossed on it, is also being widely shared on social media.
A news item on a news portal (gh.opera.news) also claims DW Africa denied making the said post.
Verification
Ghana’s DW Africa correspondent, Isaac Kaledzi, filed a report on Mr. Amidu’s resignation, the audio of which is on the DW Africa website.
“He said the threats he got recently for releasing a report on plans to monetise Ghana’s future gold royalties to an offshore firm involving the Finance Minister, the president’s cousin, forced him out. The president allegedly asked Mr. Amidu to shelve the report but he declined,” Kaledzi’s report partly reads.
Aside from the audio report, the said post about the Special Prosecutor’s resignation can be found on the official and verified Facebook page of DW Africa and was posted on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.
“The prosecutor said he quit after the president tried to get him to “shelve” a report on a plan to sell the country’s future gold royalties to an offshore firm that involved the finance minister, who is also the president’s cousin,” DW Africa Facebook post read in part.
The reporter produced this fact-check under the auspices of the Dubawa 2020 Fellowship in partnership with The Finder Newspaper to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and to enhance media literacy in the country.
