A claim that government has constituted a “secret WhatsApp group” involving civil society actors, a Supreme Court judge and other prominent individuals has sparked controversy, following revelations made on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday.
The allegation was first raised by Sammy Darko, Public Relations Officer for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), who referenced the group as ‘Government Whatsapp Group’ to make a point on the show. The Host of the programme, Samson Lardy Anyenini, clarified that the group consisted of “independent-minded individuals” which included CSOs, Journalists, Reps from CHRAJ, OSP and even the Supreme Court who have been “given a job to do”.
However, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has strongly dismissed the claim, insisting the WhatsApp platform in question is part of a publicly inaugurated national anti-corruption working group, not a clandestine government communication channel.
According to Manasseh Azure, the WhatsApp platform belongs to the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NEACAP) Working Group, which is currently developing a new five-year anti-corruption framework to replace the expired 10-year National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP).
He clarified that the working group draws its membership from a broad spectrum of institutions and stakeholders, including:
• All state anti-corruption agencies
• The Judiciary
• Office of the Attorney-General
• Civil society organisations
• Ghana Police Service
• Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC)
• Development partners such as GIZ and UNODC
• Youth representatives
• Individuals known for their work in anti-corruption
• The Office of the Special Prosecutor — represented by Sammy Darko himself
“I am a member of the NEACAP Working Group on account of my work in the fight against corruption. Sammy Darko is a representative of the OSP in that group,” he stated.
Manasseh said he found it misleading for the OSP’s spokesperson to describe the platform as a “government WhatsApp group,” a characterization that has since fueled speculation about government influence over independent voices.
He noted that Newsfile host Samson Anyenini attempted to correct the impression during the live programme, suggesting the host foresaw potential misinterpretation of the remark.
“The government has not constituted a WhatsApp group for any clandestine or discreet activities that I know of or belong to,” Manasseh said. “The group Sammy Darko referenced is the publicly inaugurated NEACAP Working Group.”