The Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Professor Michael Kpessa-Whyte, has strongly rejected claims that he publicly celebrated being named “Best CEO of the Year” by an awards scheme, describing the allegation as completely false.

His response follows assertions by the Chief Executive Officer of Big Events Ghana, Prince Mackay, who claimed that Prof. Kpessa-Whyte had posted a message on social media expressing gratitude to the organisers after learning of the recognition.

However, speaking on Citi FM on Monday, June 8, the SIGA boss dismissed the claim and challenged the awards organiser to provide evidence.

“It is a palpable lie. I wish this interview were on television so he could show the said screenshot to the public to see that I responded to a congratulatory message that came to me,” Prof. Kpessa-Whyte said.

He further questioned the logic of the allegation, adding, “I was the same person who wrote the opinion piece. So why would I turn around and go and write a congratulatory piece?”

Prof. Kpessa-Whyte maintained that he had no personal relationship with Prince Mackay or his organisation and insisted that he was unfamiliar with their activities.

“I don’t know him. I don’t know what they do,” he stated, while urging the organiser to substantiate the claims being made against him.

The dispute stems from concerns raised by the SIGA Director-General after he was informed that he had been selected for a “Best CEO of the Year” award and invited to attend the ceremony.

He later questioned the credibility of the process after receiving correspondence that included sponsorship packages and options for purchasing tables.

Big Events Ghana has denied any link between sponsorship and award selection, insisting that requests for support were directed to SIGA as an institution and not to Prof. Kpessa-Whyte personally.