Maurice Ampaw, a human rights lawyer, patted the back of the national security agents who picked up Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, known colloquially as Bulldog, the manager of Shatta Wale.
He said Bulldog should be heavily penalized for issuing a warning to President Akufo-Addo for not paying the extinct gold dealership company Menzgold’s clients.
According to the prosecutor, by making these claims on television, the artist manager committed 3 in 1 offence, that is, intimidating the president, blackmailing the president to pay Menzgold clients, and committing a treasonable offense.
Maurice Ampaw said,the ‘inflammatory’ phrases used by Bulldog may intimate that President Akufo-Addo is foolish.
The private legal practitioner said, reflecting on the problem with Mynewsghana by stating that;
You don’t express freedom of expression by insulting and attacking a president. Because your freedom to express is subject to the rights of others and it’s subject to crime of public interest and national security. Therefore, going all out to threaten the President by saying that if the President fails to pay Menzgold customers then he will not live to fulfill his term of office is committing three crimes in one. Threatening of the president, blackmailing the president to pay Menzgold customers, committing treasonable offence because by which means are you going to ensure that the president does not finish his term of office? It’s by overthrowing the president?”
“Also, you are blackmailing the president because you are telling the president that he is very stupid so it’s equal to somebody who has a nude picture of a girl and says that if you don’t give me money I will publish your nude picture…I think he should be dealt with,”
On Monday, January 11, 2021, Bulldog was arrested for alleging on a mainstream media that President Akufo-Addo will not fulfill his four-year term in office if outraged Menzgold clients do not get their trapped funds back.
On Saturday, January 9, 2021, making his suggestion on UTV’s United Showbiz, he said, “We’re going to get our money back if Nana Addo runs; he’s not going to finish his four years.” I say to you. He’s not going to complete his four years.’
But in a subsequent interview on Okay FM Monday, the artist manager said he did not attack the President and that his remarks were only to stress on the need to compensate Menzgold customers .
