BY Issah Olegor
Two social media content creators have been granted bail after being arrested and arraigned before the Kotobabi Circuit Court over the circulation of a viral video allegedly portraying President John Dramani Mahama and the National Security Coordinator, COP Osman Razak discussing an amount of GH¢150 million.
The case has ignited fresh debate over misinformation, freedom of expression and the legal consequences of sharing unverified digital content, while also drawing attention to the government’s explanation of the widely circulated recording.
The accused, Issaka Yahaya of Nsem Fie TV and Godfred Ansu Damoah, have been charged with conspiracy to publish false information after investigators alleged that they reposted and circulated the video with claims that it showed the President discussing the payment or receipt of GH¢150 million in suspicious circumstances.
They pleaded not guilty before the Kotobabi Circuit Court and were granted bail in the sum of GH¢30,000 each with two sureties.
As part of the bail conditions, one of the sureties for each accused must be a public servant earning at least GH¢5,000 monthly. The case has been adjourned for further proceedings.
The arrests followed the circulation of a short video clip on social media which triggered widespread public discussion and political commentary over the context of the President’s remarks.
Soon after the video went viral, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu dismissed claims surrounding the recording, insisting that the conversation had been deliberately edited and taken out of context to create a false narrative.
According to the government, the GH¢150 million mentioned in the conversation referred to part of an approved GH¢300 million emergency package authorised by President Mahama to support flood relief and post-flood mitigation works following severe flooding in parts of the country.
Government explained that the GH¢300 million package was divided equally, with GH¢150 million allocated for emergency humanitarian relief to affected victims and another GH¢150 million earmarked for drainage improvements and flood mitigation projects under the supervision of the National Security Coordinator, COP Razak.
Kwakye Ofosu accused those circulating the edited clip of deliberately distorting the President’s comments for partisan purposes and urged the public to disregard what he described as misleading interpretations of the conversation.
Despite the clarification, the leaked recording continued to generate intense public debate, with critics questioning the official explanation while supporters of the government maintained that the video had been maliciously manipulated.
