JERRY RAWLINGS BLASTS PREMIUM TIMES OVER IRRESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM

The office of former President Jerry John Rawlings has discounted a
news account by the Premium Times of Nigeria of the June 17, 2013
address he gave at a Conference on Emerging Democracies in Africa:
Challenges and Opportunities at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja-Nigeria.
A statement signed and issued by Rtd. Naval Captain Hillary
Afeku-Amenyo, Director of the office of the former president, said the
"report is laced with irresponsible falsehoods, fabricated quotations
and wrong allusion that bring the image of His Excellency Jerry John
Rawlings into disrepute."
Below is the statement from Rawlings' office
RE: JERRY RAWLINGS SLAMS NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
FOR ALLOWING CORRUPT POLITICIANS ESCAPE JUSTICE
The attention of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings has been drawn to
a scurrilous news report originally published by the Premium Times of
Nigeria, which has received wide coverage on the Internet and other
social media.
We wish to state strongly that the report is laced with irresponsible
falsehoods, fabricated quotations and wrong allusions that bring the
image of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings into disrepute.
President Rawlings did deliver the keynote address on Emerging
Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, at conference
organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja
on Monday, June 17, 2013.
His address did not make reference to the government of Nigeria and he
made no scathing attack on the Nigeria government as the Premium Times
reported.
President Rawlings also did not make reference to the Nigeria
leadership's failure to punish politicians who steal public funds.
The first three paragraphs of the report are complete fabrications.
Paragraph ten and twelve are distortions of what President Rawlings
said. Because of the gross distortions and falsehoods the entire
report does portray a totally different representation of the fact as
took place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on June 17.
We have taken a very serious view of the publication because it is
malicious, libellous and a very negative piece of journalism, which is
calculated to bring the image of President Rawlings into disrepute and
written to demand a retraction of the publication.
We caution other media who have inadvertently republished the said
article to note that they will be held equally liable should we decide
to take legal action on the matter
Below is the full text of President Rawlings' address at the
conference on Monday June 17.
Thank you.
H. Afeku-Amenyo (Rtd)
Captain (Ghana Navy)
Director, Office of Former President