A documentary was aired earlier by Al Jazeera that featured one Mr. Alistair Mathias, a Canadian Gold Smuggler and money launderer.
In the documentary, the said Mr. Mathias mentioned he has worked with Heads of different states. He further alleged that the President of Ghana, President Nana Akuffo Addo was his lawyer before he became President and benefited from a $100million Infrastructure contract awarded to him.
Posing as Chinese criminals seeking to launder money from Africa, Al Jazeera’s investigative team caught up with Mathias who spilled out his modus operandi.
The so-called financial architect also boasted about his alleged relationships with Presidents of some countries and the king of Swaziland.
He described Ghana’s President as a good friend and alleged that the President was his lawyer.
Soon after the airing of this documentary many Ghanaians have questioned the integrity of the President and demanded that the matter be probed.
The President and his lawyers have come out to refute the claims of the said Mr. Alistair Mathias and demanded an apology from Al Jazeera.
Portions of the letter from the Presidency to Al Jazeera dated 25th April 2023 said:
“The documentary in question made baseless claims that the President acted as a lawyer for one Mr Alistair Mathias and implied that the president personally benefited unlawfully from an alleged $100million state infrastructure contract purportedly awarded to Mr Mathias
It added:
“It is imperative that you act forthwith on this request within seven days from the date of receipt of this letter.”
A journalist working with TV3, has written to enquire from Al Jazeera;
a. Has Ghana’s President’s letter seeking retraction and apology been received?
b. Is there any possibility of Al Jazeera retracting and apologizing to the Ghana President?
c. Prior to the airing of the GOLD MAFIA documentary, did Al Jazeera write to Ghana’s President regarding the claims by Alistair
Mathias and what was his response?
In a response Al Jazeera said:
“We have responded to the letter from the president of the Republic of Ghana, correcting some parts of its content and clarifying various points.
“Prior to the publication of Gold Mafia, we wrote to the president outlining the claims made by Alistair Mathias. The president’s response appears near the end of the documentary.”
Now the question that lies unanswered is;
If a letter was written to the President before the airing of this documentary, why were there not any actions taken if the allegations are false? Why is there a need for a retraction and apology if due process was followed?
SOURCE: 3NEWS