General News of Thursday, 25 April 2019<\/p>\n
Source: <\/strong>dailymailgh.com<\/p>\n2019-04-25\n\n General News of Thursday, 25 April 2019<\/p>\n Source: <\/strong>dailymailgh.com<\/p>\n 2019-04-25<\/p>\n A minister of state at the presidency, Rockson Ayine Bukari, has been caught on tape in a frantic and desperate effort to prevent a journalist from publishing a damning story against a Chinese mining company when he was heading the Upper East region.<\/p>\n Daily Mail GH has chanced on a tape implicating Mr. Bukari in a coordinated plan by people in high places to drop an undercover report carried out by a Starr FM journalist Edward Adeti, involving a judge in the Upper East region.<\/p>\n The most senior judge in the Upper East region, Justice Jacob B. Boon, was caught meeting officials of Shaanxi Mining Company Ltd \u2013 a party in a case before him \u2013 day and night in November 2018 at his residence.<\/p>\n The journalist, Mr. Adeti confronted officials of Shaanxi and the judge with his evidence two days prior to judgment. Thereafter, he began receiving telephone calls from some powerful figures, who are linked to Shaanxi, pleading strongly on behalf of the judge and the Chinese-owned company to not publish the findings.<\/p>\n Daily Mail GH can confirm Mr. Bukari was one of the powerful figures who allegedly arranged cash inducement and other gifts for the journalist to kill the story.<\/p>\n In the recorded telephone conversation in possession of Dailymailgh.com, the former Upper East regional minister was heard pleading heaven and earth with the reporter to shred the story.<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to do something for me. If something is not good, I won\u2019t tell you,\u201d Mr. Bukari started off in the conversation.<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cThe Shaanxi people we supported them all along. You know they are not reliable. Their hands are too hard. Don\u2019t publish that story, because that judge [Justice Jacob B. Boon] is a very good friend of mine. When I was a registrar of the House they were all with me. Ambrose Dery, he Kolendi and then Avoka and others I gave them an office at the House of chiefs.<\/p>\n \u201cI beg you. In this world, it is a small world. I beg you. Talk to them. Monday I\u2019ll let them get something for you. I beg you. I\u2019m kneeling down and begging you. Don\u2019t publish it. I beg you. I won\u2019t disappoint you. If I were to be there with you it won\u2019t be a problem but now I\u2019m not there. I told them their hands are too hard and that is not good,\u201d Mr. Bukari cajoled the reporter.<\/p>\n He went on to inform the reporter there are other powerful people who want the story to stay in the dark.<\/p>\n \u201cThe [chief] said I should talk to you not to do it because it will affect them. I\u2019ve told them to try to see you on Monday. Everything will be ok for you so I beg you. I\u2019m now in charge of special duties and I\u2019m to go to all the regions and next week I\u2019ll go to Brong Ahafo to solve problems.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m assuring you that Monday, you\u2019ll here from Suade [sic]. Don\u2019t try and publish it. I\u2019ll be coming around and I\u2019ll call you so that we meet,\u201d Mr. Bukari concluded.<\/p>\n The bribe<\/b><\/p>\n True to Bukari\u2019s words, on the appointed day, Shaanxi officials brought a bribe of Gh\u00a25,000 cash in a brown envelope and a brand new motorbike worth about Gh\u00a25,000 to the investigative journalist for him to kill the story.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know you are using a very wretched motorbike. This is just the beginning for you,\u201d one of the officials told the journalist after the motorbike was delivered. \u201cWe have held a meeting to see how every month you\u2019ll get something from us. If you publish it, it would affect many people including the judge who is about to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the reporter, \u201cstrong threats trailed the telephone calls in the form of caution\u201d to him from known and unknown sources to have the findings quashed.<\/p>\n On Monday November 26, 2018, the judge, after presiding over arguments sequentially waged by a team of lawyers from each side against the other, and following weeks of studying the exhibits tendered before him by Cassius to buttress its claims and those tendered by Shaanxi in defence, ruled on the case.<\/p>\n The ruling favoured the Shaanxi Mining Company Ltd as the judge did not grant the interlocutory injunction the Cassius Mining Limited sought.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Cash](\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanamma.com\/2019\/04\/50591526.295.jpg\" "\\"Cash")
A new motorbike and cash of GH\u00a25,000 were reportedly given to Mr. Adeti<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanamma.com\/2019\/04\/90748221.jpg\")
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