Five years after the murder of Ahmed Suale the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has hinted that the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, has not submitted to his office any docket fit for prosecution.
“The murder of the late Ahmed Suale, Mr. Speaker, it is worthy to note that it is a matter being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, no docket fit for prosecution or action has been built and presented to my office since the deceased died,” he told members of parliament on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
Ahmed Hussein-Suale met his tragic demise on January 16, 2019, when two unidentified assailants on a motorbike, with concealed license plates, fatally shot him in Madina while he was returning from a family gathering.
There have been promises from the government and assurances from the Ghana Police Service of their commitment to solving the murder of the investigative journalist. Yet, it has been five years of no results. Reports say this murder case among others is one of the reasons for Ghana’s downgrade in media freedom ranking.
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Ghana has dropped two places on the 2023 World Press Freedom Index from 60 in 2022 to 62 in the ranking of 180 countries. This is Ghana’s second consecutive drop on the log from the 30th position it occupied in the 2021 edition of the ranking.
Due to the delays in criminal investigations and judicial prosecution, the Ghana Journalists Association as part of efforts to protect journalists and media freedom, has adopted a new policy of media blacklisting. This policy aims to blacklist persons found guilty of attacking journalists from any media coverage.
Two persons, Farouq Aliu Mahama and Mavis Hawa Koomson, Member of Parliament for Yendi and Awutu Senya East respectively, have so far experienced the wrath of this policy.
Hawa Koomson has however resolved the issue with the Ghana Journalists Association pending Aliu Mahama.
Additional Background Information
Ahmed Hussein-Suale was a Ghanaian investigative journalist known for his significant contributions to investigative journalism in Ghana, particularly through his work with Tiger Eye Private Investigations, a team led by the renowned investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Suale was instrumental in exposing corruption in various sectors, including Ghana’s judiciary and, most notably, the football sector.
His most prominent work involved an investigative piece titled “Number 12,” which exposed widespread corruption in African football, leading to the resignation and lifetime ban of Kwesi Nyantakyi, the then President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), by FIFA. This investigation had a profound impact on football governance in Africa, shedding light on corrupt practices that had undermined the sport’s integrity.
At the time of his death, his murder was widely condemned, and there were calls for thorough investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice, though progress in the case has been scrutinized for its pace and effectiveness. Suale’s legacy continues to be remembered for his courage and the significant impact of his investigative work on Ghanaian society and beyond.
