Jeffrey Epprim Nyame , Jailed For Publishing False News
Jeffrey Epprim Nyame, a blogger who published false news leading to widespread panic and bank withdrawals in 2022, has been sentenced to 30 days in prison.
Prosecutors stated that Nyame’s publication caused dollar account holders to withdraw their funds from various banks. Although Nyame admitted to publishing the false news, he claimed he sourced the article from mynewsgh.com. However, investigations revealed that Nyame was both the author and publisher of the misleading information.
After a trial, the Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, found Nyame guilty of publishing false news. Jeremiah Kobina Egyabeng, an IT professional who had been charged with abetment, was acquitted and discharged by the court.
During the proceedings, John Baptist Ayitse, a lawyer acting as a friend of the court, urged the judge to avoid imposing a custodial sentence on Nyame, arguing that he was young and had learned from his mistake. Nyame also pleaded for leniency, assuring the court that he had learned his lesson and would not repeat the offense.
In determining the sentence, the trial judge considered the pleas for mitigation but emphasized the seriousness of publishing false news, especially in the age of social media. The judge underscored the importance of maintaining discipline and integrity in news reporting and cautioned journalists to be careful in their efforts to break news first.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, who led the prosecution, narrated that the police had gathered intelligence from social media indicating that on October 27, 2022, Nyame published an article on his news portal, reportghana.net, titled “Dollar account holders to get cedi at BoG rate for bank withdrawal effective 31st Oct?” This article, which was widely shared on various WhatsApp platforms, caused significant fear and panic among the public.
