The Director of Communications of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has defended the judgement of the court imposing fines on his party members who invaded the studios of Accra-based UTV a fortnight ago.
According to him, the thugs have been dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country and that’s enough.
His comments come after influential groups including the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) said the GH₵2,400 fine was not enough to serve as a deterrent to others from committing a similar offence.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the President of GJA, Albert Dwumfuor believed the thugs were handed the fine because the police did not impose much stricter charges on them.
He described the charges of conspiracy to commit crime and rioting as inadequate, soft-handed and minimalistic.
[embedded content]However, the NPP’s Director of Communications holds a different view.
In response to the public’s reactions during an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express, he argued that justice had been served regardless of what anyone thinks.
“They have been submitted to the law, whether you agree with the sanctions or not, they have been dealt with. They’ve been punished,” he told Evans Mensah on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
He further called for what he termed as a ‘constructive conversation’ about how the media must operate within its bounds as stated in the constitution.
Read Also: UTV invasion: Option of fine imposed on thugs not deterrent enough – GJA President
On the same show, the President of the Ghana Independent Broadcast Association, Cecil Sunkwa-Mills commended the swiftness of the judicial procedure, but also critised the amount of the fine.
“Even though they have been fined GH₵2,400 and they’ll be ex-convicts, what message does this send to Ghanaians? How does this amount protect or prevent future events of this nature?”
The NDC Deputy General Secretary, Mustapha Gbande, who also spoke on the show, urged private media houses to reinforce their security to ensure that such an incident does not reoccur.
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