Manasseh Azure Awuni, a renowned investigative journalist, has issued a public apology and retraction regarding claims made in his book, “The President Ghana Never Got,” about businessman Ibrahim Mahama. The book alleged that Mahama owed a significant debt to Merchant Bank (now Universal Merchant Bank), contributing to its collapse in 2013.
However, Ibrahim Mahama’s legal counsel clarified that the debt was actually owed by his company, Engineers & Planners Company Limited, and had been fully paid in 2014. Despite this, the bank failed to report the settlement, leading to further legal action. Manasseh Azure Awuni has since admitted to the error, retracting the claim and apologizing for any harm caused. He plans to correct the mistake in online and future versions of his book.
Read his full apology below:
RETRACTION AND APOLOGY
Businessman Mr. Ibrahim Mahama has, through his lawyers, brought to my attention a fact that needs correction, and I hereby do so unreservedly.
i. In my latest book, “The President Ghana Never Got”, I discussed the banking crisis under the Akufo-Addo administration and how some banks were saved from possible collapse.
ii. In providing a background to the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) and the circumstances under which its new owners acquired it in 2013, I mentioned the controversy that arose when it emerged that one of the big debtors of the erstwhile Merchant Bank was Mr. Mahama.
iii. The fact is that the $28 million debt I referenced was owed by his company, Engineers and Planners Company Limited, the legal entity, and not Mr. Mahama personally.
iv. Consequently, I retract the said reference to Ibrahim Mahama as the debtor and apologise for any adverse effect that may have been occasioned by said publication.
v. It was a genuine oversight, which I am taking immediate steps to correct in the online version of the book and in subsequent reprints.
Manasseh Azure Awuni
August 26, 2024
NB: It is important to note that the $28 million debt was however paid in 2014 by the company and does not owe
