Counsel for the Marwako Restaurant manager who dipped the face of one staff in blended pepper has condemned what he termed media distortion of facts of the case which is before a district court in Accra.
Mr Augustine Asafo-Adjei told journalists Wednesday after court proceedings that the distortion created could negatively affect the case of Jihad Chaabn who has been charged assault.
Mr Asaof-Adjei told 3FM that his client is not a Lebanese as has widely been publicized, adding that most owners of the restaurant are Ghanaians.
“He is a Ghanaian and the company is a Ghanaian company too …his uncles that you see with fair colors are all Ghanaians,” he clarified. The counsel added the negative publicity given the restaurant will not only negatively affect the image of the company but can eventually keep the Ghanaian workers there out of their jobs.
Already a campaign on social media urging people to boycott pratronising Marwako has been trending since the case come out in the public domain.
“Now apart from him, you are collapsing a business that is employing the same Ghanaians,” he stated.
He again debunked assertions that his client dipped the face of the victim in hot pepper, saying the pepper accidentally splashed on the face of the victim.
“The fact is that there was a splash of pepper into the face of the lady. It cannot be intentional. Have you bothered to find out whether the girl went to work the following day? The girl went to work. Some of these facts are there for you to find out. You did not find out and you created sensation,” he said.
Meanwhile the court Wednesday declined bail for the accused person on grounds of protecting the safety of the accused. He has thus been remanded.
But Mr Asafo Adjei said even though he wished his client was granted bail, he respects the decision of the court, adding he may re-apply to the court in the next sitting, to consider granting the accused bail
Jihaad Chaabn was arrested at the weekend after the issue generated national attention, with calls by stakeholders, including Amnesty International, for a swift probe into the matter.
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