June 17, 2019
By Mohamed Massaquoi
Legal luminary and human rights defender in Sierra Leone, Mohamed Pa- Momo Fofanah (ESQ) has condemned what he referred to as ‘vicious media attack’ on his personality by a local media outlet, over an alleged 40,000 United States Dollars bribery.
Lawyer Fofanah claimed that a particular newspaper outlet has on Wednesday 12th June, 2019 published in its banner headline that: “ALARMING!!! $140,000 alleged bribery! Lawyer Pa Momoh Fofanah implicates State House.”
He described the article as sensational, misleading, defamatory and a ploy to tannish his hard earned reputation.
“I hereby note, with serious concern and shock, the extent to which you went to glaringly distort, mislead and sensationalize my encounter with your news reporters in the evening hours of Monday, 10th June, 2019 at my Chambers. I am also disturbed at the fact that your above article, even from its own self-contradictions, looked more like a set-up to malign me and smear my reputation and standing in the eyes of right-thinking and rationale members of the public,” he said.
He further noted that the same ‘false’ claim was published by another newspaper without crosschecking the facts.
“At the meeting, I emphasised to your reporters that as far as my client was concerned, she did not steal any money from Mr. Alie Abess and that the audio you referred me to in our conversation clearly showed that Mr. Abess’s reference was only to the sum of $140,000/ from which my client was to take $130,000/ for an identified purpose, and not the sum of $500,000/= that Mr. Abess claims my Client stole from him. When you tried to lure me into discussions about the various names mentioned by Mr. Abess in the audio, I told you to ask Mr. Abess for the evidence to prove his allegations against them, and I warned that legal actions for defamation might lie from those accused if the evidence was not forthcoming. It is therefore downright disgusting that you and/or your reporters proceeded to skew and distort the said information and pitch me against State House, to the extent of displaying His Excellency’s picture in your article together with two of his Ministers. This is most unprofessional and yellow, to say the least! This is simply scandalous and an outrage of logic! It even becomes muddled up further when you tie the above distortion with your earlier publication/rhetoric that I am tampering with justice because no court action has commenced against my Client,” he said.
He added that journalists should be professional in their practice and not to use the profession to create mischief.