The media in Ghana is among the most vibrant in Africa and leaked tapes, videos, and documents are significant contributors to this vibrancy.
The leaks that hit the public in 2020, just like for other years, were alleged scandals of influential people and heads of public institutions.
Viral sex tapes of popular persons are a key part of leaks every year, and this year the victim was a popular musician and businessman.
Also, some of the alleged scandals in 2020 were later denied by the principal actors amid threats of legal action for defamation after the alleged scandal has grabbed news headlines or made waves on social media.
Below is GhanaWeb’s compilation of top leaks that caused a major stir in Ghana in the year the pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s alleged bribery video
A video showing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo allegedly taking a bribe in his office was leaked in the lead up to the December 7 general elections in a bid to decimate the President’s reputation.
The real motive notwithstanding, the investigative video by Salis Newspaper forced a public discussion about the reputation of Nana Akufo-Addo.
In the said video, Urban Roads Director, Alhaji Abass Awolu, according to a narrator, sent a delegation to the President in his private residence in Nima.
“They were led to the president by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Adjei Bawuah. In his company were a woman and a man who was introduced as wife and brother of the Director of Urban Roads,” the narrator said.
In the secret recording, the voice purported to be that of the man introduced as the brother of Alhaji Abass, is heard pleading with the President to turn a deaf ear to some allegations against Alhaji Abass, stressing it was a plot by detractors who are bent on tarnishing Alhaji Abass's image and eventually see him kicked out of office.
Akufo-Addo after the supposed plea is seen receiving a hefty brown envelope from Ambassador Bawuah which according to the narrator contained $40,000 being presented on behalf of Alhaji Abass.
A second video of the same event that was also leaked, however, rubbished the claims in the Salis video as false.
Although the scenes and personalities in both videos are the same, the conversation was entirely different.
The second video sought to suggest that it was a donation and not a bribe.
The unseen man, who was also the man secretly filming the video, was rather heard discussing how they [Alhaji Abass's family] could assist in 2016 electioneering campaign that brought Akufo-Addo to power.
The President’s party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said the video was doctored and leaked to paint their presidential candidate in a bad light before the 2020 election.
D-Black’s sex tape
D-Black was hit by a sex tape scandal in September after a leaked video of him performing various sex acts on a lady went viral.
Some said it appears D-Black knew he was being filmed as he looked directly into the camera at some point.
Later on, the lady seen with D-Black in the video, Adrienne Nicole Edwards, said in a video published on Instagram that she was surprised about the leak.
She revealed she was working with the authorities both in the US and in Ghana to resolve the leak.
It remains a mystery how the video leaked.
GH¢52.5 billion transfers to ghost accounts
In the latter part of November, a leaked audit conducted by the Ghana Audit Service purported to show that there were transfer of tax receipts of GH¢52.5 billion by GCB Bank to unknown sources.
However, to quell public suspicion that the billions had gone missing, the Audit Service released a statement on December 1, 2020, to clarify the leaked document.
“Whilst we appreciate the public’s interest in this audit, we wish to place on record that the audit in reference, is a special audit exercise which was requested by the Honorable Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta in a letter dated 15th August, 2020, based on the mandate of the President under Article 187 (8),” the Service said.
According to the Service, the request included the confirmation of the transfer receipts from the various transit accounts maintained by commercial banks into the respective BoG Holding Accounts from 2015 to date.
Felix Ofosu-Kwakye’s ‘side chick’
On Monday, November 2, 2020, a video popped up on social media showing Felix Kwakye Ofosu, parliamentary candidate for Abura Asebu Kwamankese in the Central Region, in a room with a woman said to have been engaged to another man.
In the viral video, the staunch National Democratic Congress (NDC) member, was being accosted by relatives of the man the lady was allegedly engaged to.
The returned bribe
Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, in November produced an exposé on a longstanding tussle between the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Centre of Awareness (COA-FS).
Titled ‘The Returned Bribe’, Manasseh interviewed the Executive President of COA FS Global Peace Mission, Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan on what exactly is the reason his widely praised herbal food supplement is failing to get FDA approval.
Ato Duncan then revealed he was asked to pay some money to grease the palms of some big shots at the FDA.
After doing so, he got a surprise call that the bribe money was too small for that reason it would be returned.
Dr Duncan’s exchanges with the official of the FDA about plans to return the bribe was caught on an audio tape.
The FDA later denied the allegation of taking a bribe from COA FS.
Mzbel and Tracey Boakye’s ‘Papa no’ conversation
A leaked audio of a conversation between actress Tracey Boakye and popular former musician Mzbel ended the controversy about the true identity of the ‘papa no’.
Before the leaked audio, there were speculations that the ‘papa no’ was former President John Dramani Mahama. But it was just a rumour at the time.
In the audio, Tracey Boakye could be heard accusing MzBel of tarnishing her image to John Mahama.
She stressed that MzBel has been taking screenshots of her Instagram post only to edit it with bad caption and send to the ‘papa no.’
That leaked audio settled the saga of the ‘papa no’, which is Twi for ‘the man’.
A hug from you will put me to sleep
In January this year, a video of the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, in a bedroom conversation with a lady who sources allege is his girlfriend leaked online.
In the video, the Minister who is supposed to be conscious of his security is clearly taken off-guard and being ordered around while in the said video conversation to show the make of his pyjamas.
He was seen displaying his pyjamas which he claims is classy and a depiction of his taste for good things.
There was never a reaction from the Minister or government.
