Sixteen (16) persons allegedly affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who were arrested for attacking the offices of United Television (UTV), have been convicted and fined ¢2,400 each by the Achimota District Court.
The men were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and rioting.
They pleaded guilty to the charges and were subsequently convicted by the court. On October 7, while the station’s prime-time entertainment show, ‘United Showbiz’ was ongoing, the convicted persons stormed the studio of UTV, disrupted the live programme, and threatened to assault the host and her guests.
The group was upset that a panelist on the show, A Plus, tore into pieces a letter from the NPP leadership to the management of UTV.
The letter was requesting a reform of the United Showbiz panel. Several individuals and organisations, including the Ghana Journalists Association and the Information Ministry, have condemned the invasion.