I Never Attacked Manasseh...He Did A Perfect Work With Car Gift Story - Baako

Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has lauded the latest investigative piece done by Joy News’ Manasseh Awuni Azure in which President Mahama was given a Ford Expedition car gift by a Burkinabe contractor.

Speaking on the Joy FM/MultiTV’s news analysis programme, Newsfile, the ace journalist said considering the number of statesmen the investigative journalist spoke to and the number of places he visited before coming out with his work, the story was done well.

"I have been misquoted on several things but as a Journalist, I'm not prepared to go into that...but I never attacked Manasseh or his work...I never attacked Manasseh...," Kweku Baako said forcefully on the show.

Joy News’ investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure exposed a story in which Ghana’s President John Mahama was given a Ford Expedition vehicle valued at $100,000 by Djibril Kanazoe.

The contractor was behind the controversial $650, 000 Ghana Embassy wall in Burkina Faso which was flagged by the Auditor-General.

Mr Kanazoe was also given a contract of a portion of the most expensive road project in Ghana, Eastern Corridor Road, the Dodo-Peso road. He was scheduled to construct the $82 million Wa-Hamile road but he is alleged to have withdrawn from the contract.

The car gift scandal has generated much debate in the country with some anti-corruption campaigners raising issues of conflict of interest. The minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) have stated they will initiate an impeachment process against the President.

Some persons have also said Kweku Baako has slammed the quality of the work done by Manasseh Azure. They claimed he disclosed on a private television, Metro TV that the investigative piece does not cut out as a good work Reacting to the issue on the programme, the astute journalist dismissed reports making the rounds in the media.

“I have said nothing of that sought,” he said adding “a lot of misrepresentations have been put out there, even quotations that are said to be coming from me.”

According to him, “I ended up on that programme [Metro TV] defending Manasseh’s professional integrity and defending what he has done as against what my other guest did.”

He expressed his misgivings about what he described as “repugnant quotes attributed to me” saying he does not want to get into the business of teaching other media houses how to do their journalism.