Commission grills errant sports presenter
The Presidential Commission investigating the botched 2014 World Cup in Brazil has made a scapegoat of a sports journalist accused of mudslinging and running down the commission.
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Mr Samuel Joachim Bokeem, who works for Hello FM in Kumasi, is reported to have said unprintable things about the commission.
He is also deemed to have described the commission's work as a drain on the country's resources.
He was hauled before the commission yesterday together with his General Manager, Kwasi Brenya, to justify the comments made on his show.
A member of the commission's panel and veteran media practitioner, Moses Foh-Amoaning, expressed disgust at what he said was "an agenda by the Kumasi media to malign and vilify the commission".
He was even more appalled by the rationale for some of the criticisms, and outright insults on the media landscape.
He said the media were gradually losing the moral right to question politicians.
When interrogated by the commission's panel, a remorseful Joachim Bokeem said his "layman opinion went beyond what was acceptable" and duly apologised for his comments.
He said he had since learnt his lessons and become a student of the commission.
He also promised to be a "good ambassador of the commission".
The commission chairman, Justice Senyo Dzamefe, having considered the apology by the sports journalist, decided to "let him off the hook".
"This is the first time and so we will let you go. This is a public commission, it's not wasting government money," he said.
He tasked the journalist and his media house to come with a formal apology today.